Deadly van crash in German city
Driver kills self after mowing down crowd
MUENSTER, Germany — A van crashed into people drinking outside a popular bar yesterday in the German city of Muenster, killing two people and injuring 20 others before the driver of the vehicle shot and killed himself inside it, police said.
A top German security official said there was no indication of an Islamic extremist motive but officials were investigating all possibilities in the deadly crash that took place at 3:27 p.m. on a warm spring day.
Witnesses said people ran away screaming from the city square after the crash. Police quickly set up a large cordoned-off area for their investigation and ambulances rushed to the site.
Six of the 20 injured were in severe condition, according to police spokesman Andreas Bode.
Herbert Reul, the interior minister of North RhineWestphalia state, where Muenster is located, said the driver of the gray van was a German citizen. He stressed that the investigation was at an early stage but said “at the moment, nothing speaks for there being any Islamist background.”
“We have to wait, and we are investigating in all directions,” Reul said, adding that it was clearly not an accident.
Reul said two people were killed in the crash and the driver killed himself — lower than the earlier police toll of three dead plus the driver.
Police spokesman Peter Nuessmeyer told The Associated Press that he could not confirm German media reports that the perpetrator reportedly had psychological issues.
Police tweeted that residents should “avoid the area near the Kiepenkerl pub” in the city’s historic downtown area where a large-scale police operation was underway.
Police also said they found a suspicious object in the van that they were examining to see if it was dangerous. They told German news agency dpa that was the reason authorities cordoned off such a large area.
The Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper said the suspect’s apartment was being searched last night for possible explosives.
The Muenster University Hospital put out an urgent call for citizens to donate blood — and so many people rushed to help that long lines of donors formed. Jan Schoessler, who was among those in line, said dozens of people were waiting shortly after doors opened at 7 p.m.
The university canceled the call after only an hour and thanked everyone on Twitter “for your overwhelming support.”