Car crashes into crowd in Muenster leaving 2 dead, 20 injured
Apr 7, 2018, 8:58 AM | Updated: Apr 8, 2018, 11:16 am
(dpa/AP Photo) Police vans stand in downtown Muenster, Germany, Saturday, April 7, 2018. German news agency dpa says several people killed after car crashes into crowd in city of Muenster.
(dpa/AP Photo)
PHOENIX – A German police spokesman said two people were killed and 20 injured when a van crashed into a crowd in front of a popular bar in downtown Muenster.
Andreas Bode told reporters the driver of the van shot himself dead inside the car after the crash Saturday afternoon.
The van crashed into people sitting in front of the famous Kiepenkerl bar on one of the first spring days in the western German city.
Bode said six of the 20 injured were in severe condition.
A leading German newspaper is reporting that authorities believe there is no terrorist motive behind the deadly van crash in Muenster and the driver is believed to be a middle-aged German man who had psychological issues.
The Sueddeutsche Zeitung paper also says the suspect’s apartment was being searched for possible explosives.
German officials haven’t yet indicated what they think is the motive behind Saturday’s crash into a crowd at a popular Muenster bar, which killed two people and left 20 others injured. They have urged people in Muenster to avoid the city’s downtown area.
At the same time, police say they are checking witness reports that other perpetrators might have fled from the van at the scene of the crash.
Mayor Markus Lewe told reporters that “all of Muenster is mourning this horrible incident. Our sympathy is with the relatives of those who were killed. We wish the injured a quick recovery.”
In December 2016, a truck driven by Anis Amri, a Tunisian with links to Islamist groups, hijacked a truck killing 11 people in a market place around Christmas.
Muenster is five hours west of Berlin near the border of Germany and Netherlands.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
