International: Two Killed After Car Plows Into Crowd in Germany

Two people were killed and several others injured after a car rammed into a crowded pedestrian shopping street in the German city of Leipzig on Monday afternoon.

Authorities said the incident happened shortly before 5 p.m. local time along Grimmaische Strasse, a busy shopping area in the city centre. Police said the driver struck multiple pedestrians before fleeing the scene.

A suspect, identified as a 33 year old German man, was later arrested by police while still inside the vehicle. Authorities said he is no longer considered a threat.

Officials confirmed that the two people killed were German citizens, while an undisclosed number of injured victims remain hospitalized.

Police have not yet determined a motive for the incident, but prosecutors have launched an investigation on suspicion of attempted murder.

Leipzig Mayor Burkhard Jung expressed shock over the tragedy and extended condolences to the families of the victims.

Emergency responders declared the incident a mass casualty event as large numbers of police, ambulances and rescue crews rushed to the scene. Images from the area showed a heavily damaged white vehicle with a shattered windshield surrounded by emergency personnel.

Authorities established a security cordon around the affected section of the city as investigations continued.

Officials believe the suspect acted alone.

The incident is the latest in a series of vehicle ramming attacks and crashes in Germany in recent years. Previous incidents in cities including Magdeburg, Mannheim and Munich left multiple people dead and injured.

A support centre has since been established in Leipzig to assist victims, relatives and witnesses affected by the tragedy.