A car drove into a crowd in the historic centre of Leipzig in eastern Germany on Monday, killing two people and injuring several others, according to authorities. The driver, a 33-year-old German man, was arrested at the scene as investigators examined the motive behind the attack.
Police said the vehicle travelled through a pedestrian zone in the old town after entering from a major square.
Victims identified, dozens injured
Authorities confirmed that two German citizens were killed — a 63-year-old woman and a 77-year-old man. At least two people were seriously injured, while around 20 others suffered minor injuries, according to emergency services.
Police said the car ploughed into pedestrians on Grimmaische Street, a busy shopping and tourist area lined with historic buildings.
Eyewitness describes chaos
A local resident, Hosam Algaer, who witnessed the incident, described the moment the vehicle struck the crowd.
“The car braked, it stopped,” he said. “There was a woman on top and she ended up under the car, dead.”
He added that people initially struggled to understand what was happening. “People understood very quickly that an idiot was driving and they fled,” he said.
Officials call incident a “rampage”
Authorities have not confirmed a motive but described the incident using the German term “Amokfahrt,” often associated with a sudden violent rampage.
Saxony state interior minister Armin Schuster said such incidents are “often associated with psychological instability.”
However, police stressed there was “no basis on current knowledge” to suggest a political or religious motive. The driver is believed to have acted alone.
Investigation underway
The suspect was arrested at the scene and is being investigated on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.
“The driver stopped of his own accord,” police said, adding that there was no ongoing threat to the public.
Saxony state premier Michael Kretschmer said the attack had deeply shaken the region.
“We will do everything in our power to investigate it quickly and fully,” he said. “The rule of law will act with all due rigour.”
Emergency response and city reaction
Police, firefighters and emergency medical teams were deployed in large numbers across Leipzig, along with two helicopters. TV footage showed a heavily damaged white vehicle and cordoned-off streets filled with emergency vehicles.
Despite the tragedy, parts of the city appeared to return to normal later in the day, with cafés reopening near the scene.
Past attacks
Germany has faced several vehicle-ramming attacks in recent years. In 2024, a Christmas market attack in Magdeburg killed six people and injured more than 300.
Earlier incidents include a 2025 attack in Munich, where a vehicle struck a public march, killing two people.
Authorities say such attacks have increased concerns about public security, especially in crowded pedestrian zones and festive gatherings.
(With AFP inputs)
