The suspected perpetrator in the car ramming attack which has killed at least two people is a 40-year-old German from Ludwigshafen.
A 40-year-old German from the nearby state of Rhineland-Palatinate has been detained in relation to the car ramming attack on Monday which killed at least two people and injured 10 others.
Local media have reported the man’s name is “Alexander S.”
The suspected perpetrator was taken to hospital after being injured, according to Baden-Württemberg State Interior Minister Thomas Strobl.
He added that there is currently no evidence of an extremist background in the attackers motivations, which could be more related to his “personality.” Investigations are currently still ongoing.
In a statement on Monday night, police did not immediately characterise the incident as an attack, writing that “at this stage of the investigation, no political background is assumed.” They also said there was no more danger to the public.
Friedrich Merz, who is likely to become Germany’s next chancellor, wrote on X that “the incident — as well as the terrible acts of the past few months — is an urgent reminder that we must do everything we can to prevent such acts.” Outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote that “we mourn with the families of the victims of a senseless act of violence.”
The perpetrator had at around noon driven into people on Paradeplatz, a pedestrian street in downtown Mannheim. Local media reported a carnival market was taking place, which meant there were more people in the area than usual.
The car used in the apparent attack has since been identified as a dark-coloured or black compact SUV or a similar vehicle. It “raced” at high speed and struck several pedestrians in the main shopping street, according to reports.
Mannheim is a city of about 300,000 people located some 80 kilometres south of Frankfurt.
Several German cities are set to hold parades this week to mark the country’s carnival season. While the parade in Mannheim took place on Sunday, the city centre was still bustling with activity on Monday.
Heidelberg, Schwetzingen and Brühl — all in Baden-Württemberg — have cancelled their carnival celebrations on Tuesday.
The incident comes just weeks after two people — a mother and a child — were killed in a car ramming attack in Munich.
Last December, six people were killed and more than 200 injured when a car slammed into a Christmas market in the eastern city of Magdeburg.
