Van plows into packed eatery in Germany

A SUICIDAL VAN driver plowed into a crowd outside a popular pub in the German city of Muenster Saturday, killing two people before shooting himself in the head, authorities said.

The rampaging vehicle mowed down people sitting outside the Grosser Kiepenkerl eatery about 2:30 p.m. local time — turning a serene sunny afternoon into a scene of horror.

Writhing bodies lay strewn along the outdoor patio as people sprinted away screaming, witnesses said.

Six of the 20 people injured were hospitalized in serious condition, authorities said.

The driver shot himself inside the van.

Police officials said the incident did not appear to be an act of Islamic terrorism though they cautioned the investigation was still in its early phases.

The German native at the wheel had “no indication of an Islamist background,” said Herbert Reul, interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Police spokesman Andreas Bode said the crash was clearly no accident.

“We have to wait, and we are investigating in all directions,” Bode said.

Local media reported that the 48-year-old driver had psychiatric issues.

Authorities said they found a suspicious object in the vehicle, but they did not reveal what it was.

Police also raided the man’s apartment late Saturday in search of explosives, authorities said.

“Unbelievable that something like this could happen in Muenster,” Martin Wiech, who studied in the picturesque city, which is home to thousands of students, told Der Spiegel.

“It is one of the most peaceful cities I know.”

Restaurant worker Ugur Hur said he heard sickening sounds as the van jumped a curb and smashed into the crowd seated in the outdoor terrace .

“I heard a loud bang, screaming,” Hur said. “A lot of people were running away screaming.

The NYPD said it was increasing security in German locations in and around the city “out of an abundance of caution.”

Police were initially searching for other assailants after witnesses reported seeing multiple men hop out of the van.

But those reports appeared to be false, authorities said.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a statement she was “deeply shaken”.

“Everything conceivable is being done to investigate the crime and support the victims and their relatives.”

A long line formed outside Muenster University Hospital after the medical facility put out an urgent call for blood donations on Twitter.

Within an hour the hospital suspended its appeal because so many turned up to donate.

The crash had echoes of a December 2016 vehicle attack at a Berlin Christmas market, which left 12 dead.