Here is CCTV footage of the car moments before it was driven into a crowd in Mannheim city centre.
A summary of today's developments
Two people have died after a car was driven into a crowd in Mannheim, south-west Germany. The interior minister of the Baden-Württemberg state, Thomas Strobl, said “several others are also injured.” Strobl also disclosed that the suspect in custody was a 40-year-old German citizen.
According to the dpa news agency, citing security sources, between five and ten people were injured.
The man drove his car at about 12.15pm through Mannheim’s pedestrian zone from Friedrichsring into the several hundred metre Planken, Mannheim’s main shopping street, and hit or drove around several passersby at the parade square, witnesses said. According to reports, the suspect was arrested half an hour later at 12.45pm.
The presumed next chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, described the attack in Mannheim as a “shock” in a statement released on X. “The crime in Mannheim shocks us. My thoughts are with the victims and their families. “The incident – as well as the terrible crimes of the past few months – is a stark reminder to us: we must do everything we can to prevent such crimes. I would like to thank all the emergency services who helped quickly. “Germany must become a safe country again. We will work with all our determination to achieve this.”
The main train station in the Austrian capital Vienna was evacuated after an unspecific threat, the city’s police have said. In a social media post, the Vienna police said a “major police operation was under way”.
