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Germany van attack: Police in Muenster say 'no clues' for a motive German van attack: 'Suspect had mental health problems'
(about 5 hours later)
Police in Germany say there are "no clues" pointing to a possible motive for Saturday's van attack in Muenster. The man suspected of carrying out a van attack in Muenster was a lone German who suffered mental health problems, the state interior minister has said.
They are investigating "all possible avenues", said the north-western city's senior prosecutor, Martin Botzenhardt. Authorities have searched four homes associated with the suspect, and said they have found "no clues" pointing to an extremist or political motive.
On Saturday authorities all but ruled out any Islamist connections for the suspect, a German citizen who shot and killed himself. Two people were killed when a van was driven into a restaurant terrace area of the west German city on Saturday.
Police also identified the two victims killed in the incident as a 51-year-old woman and a 65-year-old man. The 48-year-old driver shot and killed himself after hitting diners.
The woman was from near Lueneburg in the north of the country, while the man was from Borken near Muenster. He has been identified in German media as Jens R - prosecutors say he was known to police.
What do we know about the perpetrator? In 2015 and 2016, he had faced allegations of threats, property damage and fraud, all of which were dropped.
Mr Botzenhardt said the investigation so far suggested that the driver was "probably" a 48-year-old man from Munich. "The person in focus had [psychological] abnormalities" that needed careful investigation, regional interior minister Herbert Reul said after placing flowers at the scene of the attack.
"So far there are no indications of a possible background for the crime," he said. "The investigations are being conducted at full speed and on all fronts." He said there was no evidence linking the suspect to Islamist militancy, and that he was not a refugee.
The perpetrator shot himself after driving into the crowd sitting outside a restaurant in Muenster's old town area. "We are assuming the motives and origins [of the crime] lie within the perpetrator himself," Hajo Kuhlisch, chief of local police told reporters.
Although officials have provided few details, the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung is reporting that the man lived just 2km (1.2 miles) from the restaurant. The victims were a 51-year-old woman from near Lueneburg, in the north of the country, and a 65-year-old man from Borken, near Muenster. Some 20 others were injured.
The public broadcaster ZDF suggested he had links with far-right extremists, but said he was not known to be one himself. The report said police were searching his apartment. What else do we know about the perpetrator?
German media reports also said the man had mental health problems - something state authorities have not confirmed or denied. "We now know it was in all likelihood a lone perpetrator, a German," Mr Reul said.
Prosecutors said there had been three criminal proceedings against him in Muenster, and one in the city of Ansbach dating back to 2015 and 2016.
"We have no indications of a politically motivated background [for the crime]", senior prosecutor Elke Adomeit said.
Although officials have provided few details, the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported that the man lived just 2km (1.2 miles) from the restaurant.
How did the incident unfold?How did the incident unfold?
A vehicle, reportedly a grey VW van, was driven into a restaurant terrace area at 15:27 local time (13:27 GMT) on Saturday. A vehicle, reportedly a grey VW van, was driven into a tourist square in the 300,000-population city at 15:27 local time (13:27 GMT) on Saturday.
Eyewitnesses said it was driven at speed and photographs of the aftermath showed tables and chairs strewn across the popular tourist square. Eyewitnesses said it was driven at speed and photographs of the aftermath showed tables and chairs strewn across a restaurant terrace area.
An employee at one of the cafes told local media that she heard a bang and people screaming. A bang was heard and people screamed, one cafe employee told local media.
"I'm angry - it's cowardly to do something like this," she told German television channel N24.
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."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."
He added: "People are calm, but really shocked." The city, in Germany's north west, has a population of about 300,000.
Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a statement that she was "deeply shaken" by the incident.Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a statement that she was "deeply shaken" by the incident.
"Everything possible is now being done to clarify the facts and to support the victims and their relatives," she said."Everything possible is now being done to clarify the facts and to support the victims and their relatives," she said.
French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted in French and German, saying his country was suffering with Germany.French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted in French and German, saying his country was suffering with Germany.
Misinformation fears
The incident comes at a time of a heightened concern in Europe, following a spate of jihadist attacks using vehicles to kill pedestrians in the UK, France and Sweden.
Local police repeatedly urged people on Saturday afternoon not to speculate about the nature of the incident and wait for official information.
Germany has seen a number of jihadist attacks in recent years. In December 2016 a lorry was driven into a crowd at a Christmas market in the capital, Berlin.
The attacker who hijacked the vehicle, Tunisian asylum seeker Anis Amri, was shot dead in Italy four days later.