A vehicle has crashed into a crowd in Mannheim and a suspect is believed to have been planning a further attack. The police have closed off the two bridges in the direction of Ludwigshafen. The suspect, reportedly armed, is said to have been apprehended.
The incident allegedly involved a black SUV, which sped from the Paradeplatz towards the Wasserturm, striking a group of pedestrians in the city center. The Fasnachtsmarkt, a local festival, has been taking place in this part of the city since Thursday. The Mannheimer Morgen reported a minimum of one fatality shortly after the incident and the police have since confirmed a death. According to Bild, there are two fatalities and 25 people, some of whom are seriously injured.
“It’s terrifying here, no one knows what happened and you just see the injured and the dead and you don’t know what to do” a fairground vendor was quoted as saying. The Intensive Care Unit of the University Clinic has reportedly been put on high alert. The city center is now completely cordoned off and the Baden-Württemberg Interior Ministry has advised citizens to avoid the area via a warning app. It is still unclear whether the planned Fasnachts events will be canceled.
Local residents reported that the previous night’s carnival procession was still protected by concrete barriers, which have since been removed.