Car rams into crowd in Germany's Leipzig, 2 dead
What's the story
Two people were killed and several others were injured after a car drove into a crowd in the eastern German city of Leipzig on Monday afternoon. Leipzig Mayor Burkhard Jung said the suspected driver, a 33-year-old German citizen, has been arrested by the police and is no longer considered a threat.
Emergency response
More than 20 people affected by the incident
The incident took place around 4:45pm local time in a pedestrian zone that was crowded with shoppers and cafe patrons. The vehicle, a gray Volkswagen Taigo, sped from Augustus Square into the shopping district of Grimmaische Street before continuing about 500 meters toward Naschmarkt Square after hitting one retractable bollard. Witnesses reported that the car appeard to have been stopped by one of the retractable bollards that guard the area.
Ongoing investigation
Motive behind attack unclear
"It's shocking. All I can do right now is express my solidarity with the victims' families," Jung told Leipziger Volkszeitung. "Everything else will now depend on the work of the police and the investigating authorities." He also said the motive remains unknown. "We still don't really know the motivation. We don't know anything about the perpetrator." The public prosecutor's office has launched proceedings on two counts of attempted murder and two counts of murder.
Past incidents
Germany has witnessed several deadly car ramming attacks
Germany has witnessed several deadly car ramming attacks in recent years. In December 2024, a car rammed into a Christmas market in Magdeburg, killing several and injuring over 200. Last year, two people were killed when a car drove into pedestrians in Mannheim. Leipzig is located southwest of Berlin and has a population of about 630,000, making it one of the largest cities in eastern Germany.