At Least One Person Dead After Car Plows into Crowd in Mannheim, Germany | Crime News

DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY,

Several others injured in an incident in western Germany, with one person in custody, says a police spokesperson.

At least one person has been killed and several others injured after a car plowed into a crowd in the western German city of Mannheim, according to police, who are urging the public to avoid the downtown area.

Police spokesperson Stefan Wilhelm stated that on Monday, a driver intentionally drove into a group of people at Paradeplatz, a square in a pedestrianized zone of Mannheim.

He confirmed that “several” people were injured, but the exact number and the severity of their injuries remain unclear.

“We can confirm that one perpetrator has been arrested,” he said. “At this time, we cannot provide information on whether there are additional suspects.”

A reporter from German news channel NTV at the scene reported that “at least one person is lying covered under a tarpaulin” and that children’s shoes were scattered amidst the debris on the ground.

Paradeplatz, a major square in the city center, is located at the end of a pedestrian street in Mannheim, a city with a population of 326,000, situated 85 kilometers (52 miles) south of Frankfurt.

Mannheim University Hospital has prepared for a potential mass casualty incident, according to a report by the German news agency dpa. The hospital has activated its disaster and emergency plan to handle the care of the injured.

Local authorities have also issued an alert through the Katwarn app, advising residents of Mannheim to avoid the downtown area due to a significant police presence. The Katwarn app is commonly used by officials to communicate information about major emergencies such as storms, attacks, or fires.

The incident occurred a day after Mannheim’s street parade, part of Germany’s carnival celebrations. Across the country, many people have taken a long weekend to enjoy the carnival festivities, including Rose Monday, when numerous cities hold parades.

Authorities were on high alert, as Monday is one of the main days of traditional carnival celebrations leading up to Lent.

German cities have witnessed several violent attacks recently, including stabbing sprees and car-ramming incidents, some of which have been linked to asylum seekers.

Last month, a man drove a car into a trade union demonstration in Munich, killing a two-year-old girl and her mother.

In December, a car-ramming attack targeted a Christmas market in the eastern city of Magdeburg, resulting in six deaths and hundreds of injuries.

Mannheim itself was the site of a stabbing attack at an anti-Islam rally last May, in which a police officer was killed and five others were injured.

Prior to Monday’s incident in Mannheim, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had stated that festivities were taking place “with high security precautions.”

She has since canceled her planned visit to the Rose Monday parade in Cologne to travel to Mannheim instead.