Two dead, suspect held after car hits crowd in Germany

A car has been driven into a crowd of people in the western German city of Mannheim, killing at least two people and injuring several others, overshadowing carnival celebrations in the region where police have been on alert for security attacks.

Police detained the car's driver and later said he had acted alone, with no broader threat seen for the public.

The suspect is a 40-year-old German man from the neighbouring state of Rhineland-Palatinate, broadcaster SWR reported, citing the state interior minister of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Thomas Strobl.

People were seen lying on the ground at the scene and at least two were being resuscitated, an eyewitness told Reuters.

It was unclear whether the driver acted deliberately or if there was any connection to Germany's carnival celebrations, which culminated on Rose Monday with a number of parades, although not in Mannheim, which held its main event on Sunday.

Police declined to comment on the suspect's identity, saying this was a focus of their investigation.

Police spokesman Stefan Wilhelm said the suspect drove into people on Paradeplatz, a pedestrian street downtown about noon when workers come for lunch breaks.

Local media reported a carnival market was taking place, meaning more visitors than usual in Mannheim, with a population of 326,000.

Mannheim University Hospital said they were treating three people, two adults and a child, DPA reported.

It was not immediately clear whether other hospitals received patients.

Images from the scene showed parts of the downtown area cordoned off, with a heavy police presence.

Officers gathered round a badly damaged black car.

B?rgerinnen und B?rger werden gebeten, aufgrund der polizeilichen Einsatzlage die Mannheimer Innenstadt zu vermeiden und gro?r?umig zu umfahren.? Polizei Mannheim (@PolizeiMannheim) March 3, 2025

Security has been a key concern in Germany following a string of violent attacks in recent weeks, including deadly car rammings in Magdeburg in December and in Munich last month as well as a stabbing in Mannheim in May 2024.

Police were on high alert for this year's carnival parades after social media accounts linked to the Islamic State militant group called for attacks on the events in Cologne and Nuremberg.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser cancelled her attendance at the parade in Cologne on Monday, Germany's biggest, due to the events in Mannheim, a spokesperson for the minister said.

Rose Monday, the culmination of the annual carnival season celebrated in Germany's mainly Catholic western and southern regions, features parades of floats that often include comical or satirical references to current affairs.

Dressed in traditional jester costumes and sporting colourful makeup, thousands of partygoers danced through the streets of Cologne, Dusseldorf and other cities in western and southern Germany ahead of the fasting season of Lent.

with DPA and AP