A driver in a Volkswagen Taigo SUV ploughed into a crowded pedestrian zone in the centre of Leipzig, eastern Germany, on Monday, killing at least two people and injuring more than 15 others — two of them seriously.
Leipzig Mayor Burkhard Jung confirmed that police apprehended the suspect at the scene, who reportedly remained inside the vehicle after stopping it himself. “We still don’t really know the motivation. We don’t know anything about the perpetrator,” Jung told reporters.
German tabloid BILD reported that the driver showed “signs of mental instability” upon arrest. At least ten ambulances and rescue teams rushed to the scene, which remained cordoned off throughout the day. A crisis center was established in the city center for witnesses and victims’ families. The incident began when the vehicle first struck a cyclist before continuing into the larger crowd.
The attack echoed a grim pattern of vehicle-ramming incidents in European cities, though authorities cautioned against drawing premature conclusions about the driver’s motives.
