A man, 40, drove a Ford at high speed through a pedestrian zone in Mannheim’s city center, killing a 54-year-old man and an 83-year-old woman and injuring four others, including a child, according to the local authorities. The suspect, who was found in his car with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, is in a life-threatening condition in a hospital.
Preliminary investigations suggest the suspect may have a history of mental health issues and there are no indications of an extremist or religious background, said Baden-Württemberg’s Interior Minister Thomas Strobl. The motive of the attack remains unclear, but the authorities do not believe it is political in nature.
The suspect, from Ludwigshafen, has a history of psychological issues and was in therapy on several occasions, according to reports. He had previously been convicted of a hate speech offense on Facebook in 2018 and was fined.
The investigation is ongoing and the authorities are still trying to determine the motive behind the attack.