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At least three dead after vehicle hits crowd in Münster, Germany Two dead after vehicle hits crowd in Münster, Germany
(about 1 hour later)
Three people are dead and 20 injured after a vehicle drove into a crowd in the western German city of Münster. Two people were killed and about 30 injured after a van drove into a crowd in the western German city of Münster. The driver of the vehicle, who had not yet been officially identified on Saturday night, also died after shooting himself at the scene. Authorities have said that there is no indication that it was an Islamist attack.
A police spokeswoman said that the driver had shot himself inside the Volkswagen camper van after driving into the crowd who had been basking in the sunshine outside a restaurant in the town’s historic centre on Saturday afternoon. State interior minister Herbet Reuel said that investigators believe the perpetrator is a German citizen. Local media reported that he was someone with mental health problems. No one else was being sought in connection with the incident. The online edition of Der Spiegel magazine said that German authorities were “assuming” that the incident was an act of terrorism, although there was no immediate official confirmation of this.
Herbert Reul, interior minister of North-Rhine Westphalia, confirmed the driver of the vehicle was a German citizen. “There is currently no indication of an Islamist background,” said Reul. Police urged people to avoid speculation and asked that they avoid the area near the Kiepenkerl pub where a large-scale police operation was underway. Kiepenkerl is a popular bar in the city’s historic centre. Earlier reports stated three people had been killed, but that was later revised down.
Six of the 20 people struck by the car are severely injured, a police spokesperson said. Police were not looking for further suspects. A vehicle, reportedly a grey VW van, was driven into a restaurant terrace area at 3pm on Saturday. Eyewitnesses said that it was driven at speed. Photographs of the aftermath showed tables and chairs strewn across the popular tourist square. An employee at one of the cafes told local media that she had heard a bang and people screaming.
The spokesperson confirmed that a suspicious object had been found inside the car. German media reported that authorities had found a package with wires inside the vehicle. Buildings in the direct vicinity of the incident were evacuated. “I’m angry – it’s cowardly to do something like this,” she told German television channel N24.
German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung reported on Saturday evening that the driver was believed to be a German citizen with a history of mental health issues, born in 1969. Daniel Kollenberg, who witnessed the aftermath, told the BBC: “I think it is a deliberate attack because it’s not allowed for cars to go in this area. People are calm, but really shocked.”
Police said they could neither nor confirm nor deny the newspaper’s report. Ulrike Demmer, the federal ­government’s deputy spokesperson, said that the government’s thoughts were with the victims and their families.
Officers on Saturday night searched an apartment around two kilometres from the site of the incident and carried out a controlled explosion. He criticised people for spreading misinformation online, claiming that a refugee was responsible.
Following the incident police urged people to avoid speculation and asked people to “avoid the area near the Kiepenkerlpub”, where a large-scale police operation was under way. The incident evoked memories of a December 2016 truck attack in Berlin that killed 12 people. Anis Amri, a failed Tunisian asylum seeker with Islamist links, hijacked a truck, killed the driver, and then went on to drive the truck into a crowded Berlin Christmas market, killing 11 people in the market and injuring 70 others.
Several eyewitnesses said police had been quick to arrive on the scene. Due to a Kurdish protest march in central Münster at 3:30pm, an unusually high number of police officers had been on patrol in the city.
Kiepenkerl is a popular bar in the city’s historic downtown area, named after a bronze statue of a travelling salesman from the city, built in 1896. Münster, a town of around 310,000 citizens, is among the 10 biggest university towns in Germany.
German chancellor Angela Merkel said in a statement on Saturday evening that she was deeply shocked by news of the events. “Everything imaginable will be done to clarify this deed and lend support to the victims and their relatives,” she said.
Markus Lewe, Münster’s mayor, said: “The whole of Münster is in mourning after this terrible event. Our condolences are with the relatives of the dead. We wish the injured a quick recovery. At this point we don’t know the background to this incident, but I want to thank the forces at work today in Münster.”
Armin Laschet, the state premier of North-Rhine Westphalia, said the incident marked “a sad, a terrible day for our country”.
The incident evoked memories of a December 2016 truck attack in Berlin that killed 12 people.
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