Latest news with #MannheimerMorgen
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Two dead, several hurt as car hits crowd in German city: police
A driver struck a crowd in southwest Germany on Monday, killing two people and seriously hurting several more, authorities said, adding that a 40-year-old German suspect was arrested at the scene. Armed police shut down and evacuated the inner city of Mannheim after a car was driven through a pedestrian shopping area, with authorities saying they were working to determine the "perpetrator's motivation". Two car ramming attacks in other German cities since December have killed eight people, while Mannheim was the scene of a stabbing attack at an anti-Islam rally last May that killed a policeman and wounded five other people. Security was a major theme in last month's general election, which was won by the centre-right CDU/CSU under Friedrich Merz. The incident "is a stark reminder to us: we must do everything we can to prevent such crimes... Germany must become a safe country again," Merz wrote on X. The driver on Monday ploughed through a pedestrian area where a carnival market was located with dozens of food stalls, rides and games. "A car drove into a group of people in Mannheim's city centre. Two people died and several others are seriously injured," Baden-Wuerttemberg state's Interior Minister Thomas Strobl said. Strobl added that the suspect arrested at the scene was a 40-year-old German man from the neighbouring state of Rhineland-Palatinate. "The police are working hard to clarify what happened, the background to the crime and the perpetrator's motivation," Strobl added. "It's heartbreaking," cafe owner Kasim Timur, 57, was quoted as telling news site Der Spiegel, adding that one of his staff members had seen seriously injured people, among them children. "We only see wounded people and the dead person, and we don't know what to do," another shopkeeper was quoted as saying by the local daily Mannheimer Morgen. Police spokesman Stefan Wilhelm said residents had been urged "to avoid the inner city area" amid the major police operation. Officers with heavy weapons cordoned off the area and police helicopters were seen in the air. The Bild daily said 25 people were injured in the incident, with pictures showing multiple ambulances in the area near the city's landmark water tower. A reporter at the scene for news channel NTV said that "at least one person is lying covered under a tarpaulin" and that children's shoes were among the clothes and debris scattered on the ground. - Spate of attacks - The intensive care unit of Mannheim's university hospital declared a disaster alert, readying for a wave of casualties needing emergency treatment. German cities have seen several violent attacks in recent months, including stabbing sprees and car ramming attacks. Last month a man drove a car into a trade union rally in the southern city of Munich, killing a two-year-old girl and her mother. Police arrested a 24-year-old Afghan suspect. In December a car-ramming attack targeted a Christmas market in the eastern city of Magdeburg, killing six people and wounding hundreds. Police arrested a Saudi man at the scene. Mannheim itself was the scene of a stabbing attack at an anti-Islam rally in May in which a policeman was killed and five others wounded, with a Syrian man now on trial over the attack. Authorities were on high alert as Monday is the high point of traditional German carnival celebrations before the beginning of Lent. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said before the incident in Mannheim that festivities were taking place "with high security precautions". Mannheim had seen thousands take to the streets on Sunday for its own carnival parade. Faeser cancelled her visit to the Rose Monday parade in Cologne to travel to Mannheim. Amid the spate of attacks in Germany, which fuelled support for the far-right AfD, Merz pledged a "zero tolerance" law and order drive. Merz's party is now in talks with the Social Democrats of outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz to form a new coalition government. bur/fz/jsk/jm
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Yahoo
One dead, several hurt as car hits crowd in German city: police
A car driven into a crowd in southwest Germany on Monday killed at least one person and injured several more, police said, adding that a suspected "perpetrator" had been arrested. Armed police shut down the inner city of Mannheim where a damaged Ford passenger vehicle sat near a pedestrian shopping arcade with the front windshield smashed. Two car ramming attacks in other German cities since December have killed eight people, while Mannheim was the scene of a stabbing attack at an anti-Islam rally in May that killed a policeman and wounded five other people. Police did not call the latest incident an attack but said a suspected "perpetrator" had been arrested after the car was driven through a downtown shopping area around 12:15 pm (1115 GMT). "We can now confirm that a car was driven into a pedestrian zone and that one person was killed," said police spokesman Stefan Wilhelm, adding that several people were injured. "One suspect was arrested," he said, adding that "the investigation is continuing". "It's heartbreaking," cafe owner Kasim Timur, 57, was quoted as telling news site Der Spiegel, adding that one of his staff members had seen seriously injured people, among them children. "We only see wounded people and the dead person, and we don't know what to do," a shopkeeper was quoted as saying by the local daily Mannheimer Morgen. Wilhelm said residents had been urged "to avoid the inner city area" amid the major police operation. Officers with heavy weapons cordoned off the area and police helicopters were seen in the air. The Bild daily said two people were killed and 25 injured in the incident, with pictures showing ambulances near the city's historical water tower. A reporter at the scene for news channel NTV said that "at least one person is lying covered under a tarpaulin" and that children's shoes were among the clothes and debris scattered on the ground. - Spate of attacks - The Baden-Wuerttemberg state interior ministry had warned the population of a "life-threatening situation" through its disaster warning app as the first reports of the incident emerged. The intensive care unit of Mannheim's university hospital declared a disaster alert. German cities have seen several violent attacks in recent months, including stabbing sprees and car ramming attacks blamed on asylum seekers. Last month a man drove a car into a trade union demonstration in the southern city of Munich, killing a two-year-old girl and her mother. Police arrested a 24-year-old Afghan suspect. In December a car-ramming attack targeted a Christmas market in the eastern city of Magdeburg, killing six people and wounding hundreds. Police arrested a Saudi man at the scene. Mannheim itself was the scene of a stabbing attack at an anti-Islam rally in May in which a policeman was killed and five others wounded, with a Syrian man now on trial over the attack. Authorities were on high alert as Monday is the high point of traditional German carnival celebrations before the beginning of Lent. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said before the incident in Mannheim that festivities were taking place "with high security precautions". Mannheim had seen thousands take to the streets on Sunday for its own carnival parade. Faeser cancelled her visit to the Rose Monday parade in Cologne to travel to Mannheim. Security was a major theme in last month's general election, which was won by the centre-right CDU/CSU under Friedrich Merz. Amid the spate of attacks, which fuelled support for the far-right AfD, Merz pledged a "zero tolerance" law and order drive. Merz's party is now in talks with the Social Democrats of outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz to form a new coalition government. bur/fz/jsk
The Independent
03-03-2025
- The Independent
Mannheim latest: Several injured after car ‘rams into crowd' in centre of German city
Multiple people have been injured after car was driven into a crowd of people in the German city of Mannheim. Local outlet Mannheimer Morgen reports that at least one person is dead, according to witnesses at the scene, although this has not yet been confirmed. An eyewitness reported seeing a driver knocking over several pedestrians in Planken, the main shopping street in the city of around 300,000, the outlet added. Heavily armed officers are in Paradeplatz and blocking the bridges near Ludwigshaden. The interior ministry at Baden-Württemberg has said the incident is a 'life threatening situation' via a warning app alert, and local residents are being advised by police to avoid the city centre. BILD reports that a black SUV was used in the attack, after driving from Paradeplatz to Wasserturm. A spokesperson for Mannheim police said: 'There is currently a police operation in Mannheim city center, in the area around Wasserturm/Plankenkopf. Police and rescue services are on their way.' While it is not yet clear whether the incident was an accident or intentional, it comes after a car was driven into a crowd in Munich last month in a suspected attack. Police confirm large city centre operation A spokesperson for Mannheim police confirmed the police operation in Mannheim city. Steffie Banatvala3 March 2025 12:58 Major law enforcement operation underway A major law enforcement operation is underway in German city of Mannheim, as public told to stay inside. Police in the western German city of Mannheim have asked the public to stay away from the downtown area and keep inside their homes. Mannheim is a city of about 300,000 people located south of Frankfurt. Steffie Banatvala3 March 2025 12:55
South China Morning Post
03-03-2025
- South China Morning Post
Car rams into crowd in German city of Mannheim
A car has driven into a crowd of people in the western German city of Mannheim, causing casualties, the Mannheimer Morgen newspaper reported on Monday, citing witnesses. Advertisement A German police operation was under way in the city, a police spokesperson told the broadcaster ntv. The spokesperson said police had no information on a suspect and could not confirm reports of casualties at this stage. The incident occurred as crowds gathered in cities across regions including Germany's Rhineland for parades to mark the carnival season. Police officers stand by during a major operation at the city centre in Mannheim. Photo: AP A black SUV drove at high speed into people, travelling from the centrally located Paradeplatz square towards the city's landmark water tower, the Mannheim24 news website reported, adding that several people were severely injured.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Yahoo
Car ‘driven into pedestrians' in German city Mannheim weeks after Munich attack
A car has driven into a crowd of people in Mannheim, Germany, according to reports. Several people were seen lying on the ground with two casualties being helped by emergency workers after the incident, an eye witness told Reuters on Monday. Heavily armed officers are stationed in Mannheim's central square Paradeplatz, and blocking the bridges near Ludwigshafen, Mannheim's neighbouring city. Local outlet Mannheimer Morgen (MM) report witnesses saying that at least one person is dead, but this has not been confirmed by authorities. One eyewitness reported seeing a driver knocking over several pedestrians in Planken, main shopping street in the city of around 300,000, the outlet added. The incident occurred as crowds gathered in cities across regions including Germany's Rhineland for parades to mark the carnival season. A carnival market has reportedly been underway in Mannheim's city centre since Thursday, consisting of 60 food stalls and rides. One stall holder at the market said, according to MM: 'It is terrible here, nobody knows what happened, you only see injured people and the dead, and you don't know what to do.' The interior ministry at Baden-Württemberg is warning of a 'life threatening situation' via a warning app, as the population is advised by police to avoid the city centre. A person was seen being covered with a sheet by a reporter for German news agency dpa, meanwhile BILD reports that it was a black SUV which drove into the crowd. A spokesperson for Mannheim police said: 'There is currently a police operation in Mannheim city center, in the area around Wasserturm/Plankenkopf. Police and rescue services are on their way.' It comes just weeks after a car drove into a crowd of people in Munich, killing a 37-year-old woman and her two-year-old daughter, and leading to the arrest of Farhad Noori, the Afghan asylum seeker suspected to be behind the attack.
