Latest news with #StefanWilhelm
Al Etihad
04-03-2025
- Al Etihad
One dead, several hurt as car hits crowd in German city: Police
3 Mar 2025 19:36 Mannheim (AFP)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 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 a 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 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 Bild daily said two people were killed and 25 injured in the incident, with pictures showing ambulances near the city's historical water tower. 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 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 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 December a car-ramming attack targeted a Christmas market in the eastern city of Magdeburg, killing six people and wounding hundreds. Police arrested a man at the itself was the scene of a stabbing attack at a rally in May in which a policeman was killed and five others wounded, with a man now on trial over the were on high alert as Monday is the high point of traditional German carnival celebrations before the beginning of 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 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 CDU/CSU under Friedrich Merz.
Jordan Times
03-03-2025
- Jordan Times
One dead, several hurt as car hits crowd in German city: police
Police investigators work at the scene of car ramming attack in Mannheim, southwestern Germany on March 3, 2025 (AFP photo) MANNHEIM, Germany — 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.
Sky News
03-03-2025
- Sky News
Two dead, 11 injured, as driver rams car into crowds then shoots himself in German city of Mannheim
Two people have died and 11 others have been injured after a car was deliberately rammed into a crowd in the western German city of Mannheim, before the driver shot himself. Among those hurt, five people are in a serious condition after a black vehicle hit pedestrians on Monday, according to German police and prosecutors. At a news conference, reporters were told the driver intentionally rammed his car into people and is being investigated for murder and attempted murder. They said the man shot himself in the mouth when he was arrested and is in a stable condition in hospital. Investigators are examining the possibility he may have psychological issues. The state's interior minister Thomas Strobl said a 40-year-old man from the nearby state of Rhineland-Palatinate had been detained. "As far as the specific motivation of the crime is concerned, we have no indication of an extremist or religious background at the moment," he said. Police spokesperson Stefan Wilhelm said the incident unfolded on Monday at around 12.15pm local time in a pedestrianised part of Mannheim's Paradeplatz area. Armed police and forensic investigators were seen examining a black vehicle with smashed windows near the city's Rhine bridge. Local officials added that the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) would be leading the investigation in cooperation with the Mannheim Public Prosecutor's Office. Police initially described the incident as "a life-threatening deployment situation" in Mannheim, in the area of Wasserturm/Plankenkopf. An alert was issued on the Katwarn smartphone app - used in major emergencies - telling people in Mannheim to avoid the city centre due to a big police deployment. Earlier Mannheim University Hospital said it was prepared for a possible "mass casualty incident", implementing its disaster and emergency plan, and increasing intensive care capacity, according to German news agency DPA. A total of eight trauma teams have been made available - for both adults and children, according to the agency. "Postponable operations that had not yet begun were immediately removed from the operation plan in order to create additional operating capacity," the hospital said in a statement. Crowds have been gathering in cities across Germany, including its Rhineland region, for parades to mark the country's carnival season. Police were on high alert after social media accounts connected to Islamic extremist groups called for attacks on events planned in Cologne and Nuremberg. Today's incident follows other similar ones in recent weeks, including a deadly car attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg in December and another in Munich last month. Mannheim has a population of 326,000 people and is around 50 miles south of Frankfurt.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Yahoo
Two dead after car 'rammed into crowd' in German city
A driver rammed a car into a crowd in the south-western German city of Mannheim, killing two people and injuring 11 others, authorities said. A 40-year-old German from the nearby state of Rhineland-Palatinate was detained and in hospital after being injured in the incident on Monday, state interior minister Thomas Strobl of Baden-Wurttemberg, where Mannheim is based, told German news agency dpa. He later told reporters in Mannheim that 'as far as the specific motivation of the crime is concerned, we have no indication of an extremist or religious background at the moment. The motivation could rather be based in the person of the perpetrator himself'. German police and prosecutors said at a joint news conference on Monday that the driver intentionally rammed his car into people and is being investigated for murder and attempted murder. They said the driver shot himself in the mouth when he was arrested and had to undergo medical treatment at a hospital. He could not yet be questioned. Investigators are looking into the possibility that the driver may suffer from psychological problems. Cars have been used as deadly weapons in several acts of violence in recent months in Germany. Police said earlier that 'indications of a second perpetrator cannot be confirmed at this stage of the investigation'. They said there was no more danger to the public. Police spokesperson Stefan Wilhelm said a driver drove into people on Paradeplatz, a pedestrian street, around noon, when workers arrive for lunch breaks. Local media reported a carnival market was taking place, meaning more visitors than usual in Mannheim, which has a population of 326,000. Mannheim University Hospital said they were treating three people, two adults and a child, dpa reported. The other injured people were taken to different hospitals in the region. Images from the scene showed parts of the area cordoned off, with a heavy police presence. Officers gathered round a badly damaged black car. Friedrich Merz, who likely will become Germany's next chancellor, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that 'the incident — as well as the terrible acts of the past few months — is an urgent reminder that we must do everything we can to prevent such acts'. Outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote on X that 'we mourn with the families of the victims of a senseless act of violence'. Last month, a two-year-old girl and her mother died two days after they were injured in a car-ramming attack on a union demonstration in Munich. A 24-year-old Afghan man who came to Germany as an asylum-seeker was arrested, and prosecutors said he appeared to have an Islamic extremist motive. Last year, six people were killed and more than 200 injured when a car slammed into a Christmas market in the eastern city of Magdeburg. The suspect, who was arrested, is a 50-year-old doctor originally from Saudi Arabia who had expressed anti-Muslim views and support for the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative For Germany party.
Daily Tribune
03-03-2025
- Daily Tribune
One dead, several hurt as car hits crowd in German city: police
A car driven into a crowd in the German city of Mannheim on Monday killed one person and injured several, police said, adding that one person had been arrested. "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. "We can confirm that one suspect was arrested," he said, adding that "the investigation is continuing". Wilhelm said residents had been urged "to avoid the inner city area" after the emergency sparked a large-scale police operation. Police with heavy weapons cordoned off the area and police helicopters were seen in the air. Bild daily reported that a car drove into a crowd of people, leaving two dead and 25 injured with pictures showing ambulances near the city's historical water tower. A reporter for news channel NTV reported that "at least one person is lying covered under a tarpaulin". Germany has in recent months suffered a spate of violent attacks. 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. In December a car-ramming attack targeted a Christmas market in the eastern city of Magdeburg, killing six people and wounding hundreds. Mannheim itself was the scene of a stabbing attack at an anti-Islam rally last May in which a policeman was killed and five others wounded.
