Two killed and many injured after car driven into crowd in German city of Leipzig

BBC:

Two people are dead and several others injured after a car drove into a crowd in the eastern German city of Leipzig on Monday afternoon, local authorities said.

Leipzig Mayor Burkhard Jung said the suspected perpetrator – who authorities have confirmed is a 33-year-old German citizen – was arrested. Jung added that authorities were not yet clear about a motive.

Police confirmed that a car had struck several people in the central Grimmaische Straße area before driving off. Leipzig’s fire chief, Axel Shuh, said 22 people were injured, including two seriously.

Michael Kretschmer, the head of the state of Saxony, of which Leipzig is a part, said the suspect previously suffered from mental illness.

Lepzig police spokesperson, Susanne Luebcke, said that at about 17:35 (15:35 GMT) “a person drove a vehicle across Augustusplatz into Grimmaische Street, continuing on past the market”.

“Several people were injured in the incident. Unfortunately, we also have to report two fatalities,” she added.

“We are talking about a case of violent rampage here. We are working on the assumption that this was the act of a lone perpetrator and currently have no indications that there is still a threat to public safety.”

The Leipzig’s public prosecutor’s office confirmed the deceased were a 63-year-old woman and a 77-year-old man, both German citizens.