MOWN DOWN IN THE MARKETPLACE
Scene of horror: Van driver piles into busy open-air cafe, killing three and injuring 30
AT LEAST three people were killed and up to 30 injured after a van ploughed into a crowd of people in a bustling open-air restaurant in Germany yesterday afternoon.
Horrifying pi ct ures s howed scattered tables and chairs and passers-by rushing to the aid of the injured in the city of Munster after the van careered into dozens of people enjoying the spring weather.
Authorities said they ‘couldn’t rule out’ terrorism after the driver ploughed through crowds before crashing into a building and shooting himself dead in front of terrified onlookers at about 3pm local time.
But local reports said the driver was a man with a history of mental problems.
Six of the injured were believed to be fighting for their lives after the crash in Kiepenkerl, a popular and picturesque market square in the city centre.
German police were last night scouring the vehicle for explosives and a ‘suspicious object’ with wires was reported to have been found.
Armed police sealed off the scene and warned people to stay away from inner-city areas, while dozens of off-duty officers were recalled to assist in the security operation.
One eyewitness told the local MDR TV channel: ‘I heard a loud, dull blow and si multaneously people cried out, “Oh my God!” A minute later, patrol cars were already there.’
A student named Lena, 21, told Bild newspaper: ‘I was bike riding with friends when suddenly crying, screaming people came running towards us. “Get away!” they shouted. “Someone has driven into people, there is a terror attack.” We got out of there and didn’t see much but feared another bomb would blow up or that we would be shot at.’
A police spokesman said: ‘A small van has been driven into a crowd. A suspect has killed himself,’ adding: ‘There are dead and injured. Please avoid the area.’
A fire department spokesman said up to 50 people had been caught up in the smash.
‘ The whole of Munster mourns this terrible event, our sympathy goes out to the relatives of those who were killed and we wish the injured people speedy recovery,’ the ci t y’s Lord Mayor Markus Lewe said.
A spokeswoman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel said ‘our thoughts are with the victims and their families’, describing the crash as ‘terrible news’. And Andrea Nahles, parliamentary leader of the Social Democrats, junior partner in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition, said: ‘I am shocked by the news from Munster. My thoughts are with the victims and their relatives. I hope our authorities can quickly clarify the background to this incident.’ Erich Rettinghaus, chairman of the German police trade union i n North RhineWestphalia, said: ‘ There was always a latent high risk of attack throughout Germany. Now it has also hit our state. We were fortunately always able to prevent planned assassinations and attacks in advance, but it has not succeeded this time. It is now necessary to clarify and, above all, to arrest accomplices to this crime and to prevent further possible outrages.’
Local media named the killer as German national Jens R, 48, a graphic designer who lived in the city and who had no previous criminal record.
According to reports, he had a history of psychiatric problems and had tried to take his life earlier this year. Last night, special forces were searching his home.
The crash came on the one-year anniversary of t he Stockholm attack, when five people were killed and 14 injured after a stolen beer truck was driven into a crowd in the Swedish capital. In December 2016, a lorry ploughed into a crowd at a Christmas market in the German capital, Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring a further 49.
The historic city of Munster is located in North-West Germany, and has a population of 300,000.
More than 45,000 Islamic extremists are estimated to be in Germany – among them people willing to commit acts of terror or support those who do.
‘A loud, dull blow and people crying out’ ‘Get away! There has been a terror attack’