(SeaPRwire) – A vehicle crashed into a pedestrian zone in Leipzig, Germany, on Monday, resulting in two fatalities and several individuals sustaining serious injuries, officials confirmed.
According to Reuters, authorities detained the driver, a 33-year-old German national. Officials stated there is no continuing danger to the public as investigators work to establish the cause of the incident.
Leipzig Mayor Burkhard Jung expressed that the city is “mourning two deaths,” with at least three people critically injured, describing the event as a “horrific attack.”
“We are grieving two deaths, currently three seriously injured individuals, and many others who were also hurt,” Jung told reporters during a media briefing on Monday evening, as reported by Leipziger Volkszeitung.
“It’s impossible to find the right words for this horrific attack,” he added.
Germany, along with several other European nations, has experienced a series of vehicle-ramming and stabbing incidents in recent years. Some have been linked to political or religious motivations, while others involved suspects with mental health challenges.
Saxony’s prime minister, Michael Kretschmer, indicated that the suspect in Monday’s incident may have been struggling with mental health issues. Authorities noted he surrendered without resistance, according to local outlet Leipziger Volkszeitung.
Police initiated a large-scale response, deploying numerous emergency vehicles and closing off surrounding streets.
City officials characterized the event as a “mass casualty incident,” although the precise number of injuries was not immediately available.
Local broadcaster Radio Leipzig reported sightings of a damaged Volkswagen SUV speeding through the pedestrian zone, with a person seen on top of the vehicle.
The incident occurs amid a recent spate of similar attacks across Germany.
Last year, two individuals were killed in Mannheim when a driver struck a group of pedestrians. Weeks prior, another attack at a trade union rally in Munich resulted in two deaths and over 40 injuries, including several children.
In December 2024, a vehicle-ramming attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg left multiple people dead, following a stabbing at a festival in Solingen months earlier.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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