A 77-year-old man and a 63-year-old woman were killed on Monday (4 May), after a man drove a car into a crowd on a pedestrianised street in the the eastern German city of Leipzig, authorities said.
State police said a 33-year-old man struck several pedestrians after driving his car along Grimmaische Straße in the city centre of Leipzig at around 16:45 local time (15:45 GMT).
The man fled the scene in his car, but was later arrested by officers in a VW Taigo near St. Thomas Church.
German prosecutors are investigating the man for two counts of murder and multiple counts of attempted murder.
Three people were seriously injured in the incident, Leipzig's mayor said on Monday. Police said numerous people were injured, but said they couldn't yet confirm the exact number. Earlier, Leipzig Fire Chief Axel Schuh said 22 people were injured.
Investigators believe the driver acted alone and enquires into the motive of the crime are ongoing, but according to current findings a political or religious motive isn't suspected, police added.
As part of ongoing investigations, the areas around St. Thomas Churchyard and Grimmaische Straße remain closed, police said. Residents are not affected by the closures.
"We are mourning two deaths, currently three seriously injured people, and many others who were injured," Mayor Burkhard Jung told journalists at a press conference on Monday evening.
“It’s impossible to find the right words for this horrific attack," he added.
The Prime Minister of the state of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer, said that the suspect had possible mental health issues.
Earlier, in a statement, officers said that emergency services had declared a “mass casualty incident”.
“A large number of police officers are on the scene,” the statement said.
A damaged Volkswagen SUV, with a person on top of the vehicle, was seen speeding through a pedestrian zone, local broadcaster Radio Leipzig reported.The broadcaster cited eyewitnesses as saying several bodies were covered with sheets, and also reported an alleged stabbing.
Around 40 firefighters and 40 paramedics were deployed, supported by two helicopters. Following the incident, a cordon was put in place around the affected area in the city centre, covering Grimmaische Straße from Augustplatz to St. Thomas Church.
At approximately 17:35 (15:35 GMT), Radio Leipzig reported that police had declared the danger over.
Unverified images circulating on social media showed a yellow emergency helicopter near the scene, along with several ambulances.
Police have appealed for anyone who was on the scene or affected by the incident to provide witness statements.
Germany has witnessed a spate of car-ramming incidents in recent years, some by people with religious or political motives and others carried out by people with mental health problems.
In May 2025, one person was killed and a number of people were injured after a car hit a crowd of people in the southwestern city of Stuttgart. Authorities treated the incident as an accident.
In March 2025, two people were killed in the western city of Mannheim, when a 40-year-old man drove a car into a group of pedestrians, only weeks after a similar attack on a trade union demonstration in Munich, killed two and injured more than 40, including children.
In December 2024, several people were killed in a car-ramming attack on a Christmas market in the eastern city of Magdeburg. That incident came months after a stabbing attack at a festival in the western city of Solingen.
Pakistan is pushing for urgent global action and greater climate funding as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attends COP31 in Türkiye, warning th...
Armenia has lost its voting rights and the ability to nominate officials for certain posts within the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organi...
Four million workers across Spain joined a general strike on Wednesday over the country’s deepening housing crisis, unions said, bringing dis...
Delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the United States met in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for their first formal talks in nine months. They did so with no agreement on what a ceasefire would be tied to or who gets to keep the land currently under Russian control.
At least 17 people have been reported killed in an explosion at a steel plant in western Türkiye, after a crane collapsed during maintenance work. The disaster has prompted a criminal investigation into what went wrong at the industrial facility.
U.S. envoy Jared Kushner said Washington believes the Russian President is prepared to reach a peace agreement under the right conditions, as U.S., Russian and Ukrainian delegations began trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday 10 November.
Armenia could lose its voting rights within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) on 11 November after failing to pay membership fees for more than two years, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 11 November. Today, we cover Russia-Ukraine peace talks, political tensions in Washington, strikes in Spain, espionage allegations involving Nvidia's CEO, and climate negotiations at COP31 in Türkiye.
Four million workers across Spain joined a general strike on Wednesday over the country’s deepening housing crisis, unions said, bringing disruption to factories, ports, shops and public transport just weeks before a snap general election.
Two days of U.S.-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi have ended with an agreement on a major prisoner exchange, but key disputes over security and territory remain unresolved.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a stark warning at this year's COP31 summit, saying the climate crisis iss advancing faster than governments' efforts to contain it.
Iran has unveiled a new underground missile and drone base, warning that it will respond forcefully to any attack, as tensions persist with the U.S. and oil tankers continue to be struck by naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
Hundreds of schools in Italy have been evacuated following emailed bomb threats, as similar messages spread to Scotland and Ireland. Police say the threats are not credible.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment