Germany has been struck by another mass hit-and-run, this time in the city of Mannheim, in the western part of the country. A car plowed into several people at a busy carnival market filled with food stands and entertainment, according to the local newspaper Mannheimer Morgen. Police have confirmed one fatality and multiple injuries so far.
Eyewitnesses described the scene as chaotic. “It’s terrible. No one knows what happened. All we see are injured and dead people, and we don’t know what to do,” said a worker at the event in an interview with the newspaper.
Suspect Arrested and Police Operation Underway
Authorities have identified and arrested the suspected attacker. “We are not yet able to provide detailed information on the number and severity of injuries. However, as part of the immediate search measures, a suspect has been identified and taken into custody,” officials stated in a press release.
A heavy police operation was deployed in downtown Mannheim, particularly in the Wasserturm/Plankenkopf area. Police spokesperson Stefan Wilhelm confirmed that the incident occurred around 12:15 p.m. local time when a vehicle drove into a pedestrian zone, hitting a group of people. “Unfortunately, one person has died, and several others have been seriously injured,” he said.
Due to the severity of the situation, authorities in the state of Baden-Württemberg issued an alert via the Katwarn app, warning the public of a “potentially life-threatening situation” and advising people to avoid the city center.
According to German public television, the attacker is now in custody. Media outlets Bild and Rheinpfalz report that the vehicle involved was a black SUV that drove into the area during a carnival parade. In response, the intensive care unit of Mannheim University Hospital has declared a disaster alert due to the number of injured victims.
A Concerning Pattern of Attacks in Germany
This hit-and-run comes just weeks after an Afghan refugee drove his car into a group of protesters in Munich, killing a mother and her two-year-old daughter in what German authorities classified as an Islamist terrorist attack.
It marks the fifth major attack in Germany in just over two months. In December, a young Saudi man killed five people in Magdeburg during Christmas celebrations. Shortly after, in Aschaffenburg, an Afghan man stabbed two people, and that same day, another hit-and-run in Munich coincided with the Security Conference, where world leaders were gathered. A day before the elections in Berlin, a man was fatally stabbed.
These incidents have raised concerns in Germany about the increasing frequency of attacks in public spaces and security at large events. Authorities are continuing to investigate the motives behind the Mannheim attack and are reinforcing security measures across the country.
