Car in Mannheim rammed crowd, killing two. Driver had note, prior convictions. Police downplay terror link citing mental illness.
The note was taped to the car’s dashboard. It might show the crash was planned. Forensic teams found the note in the car. It had info, a smiley face, and hearts. It also had formulas for braking. The note’s purpose is still unknown. Police haven’t confirmed if it was an accident or attack.
The driver reportedly shot himself after hitting people. Investigators think he had a mental illness and don’t believe it was political. A 40-year-old man was arrested. He is from Ludwigshafen. Initial checks show no extremist ties.
The suspect may face murder charges and attempted murder charges. Prosecutors couldn’t question him yet. He shot himself after the crash, survived, and is in the hospital.
The minister said cars are misused as weapons. The suspect is a 40-year-old gardener. His name is Alexander S in the media. Police knew him before this. He has no children and is single.
He had prior convictions, including an assault from 10 years ago and a drunk driving case. More recently, he had a hate speech fine. It was from a Facebook comment in 2018.
The car sped through the city streets and smashed into people. One woman ran to avoid the car. Another person jumped back to get out of the path. Witnesses saw children’s shoes among the wreckage.
The police have not called it an attack yet. Cars were used as weapons in Germany before. An asylum seeker drove into people in Munich. Two died and many others were hurt in that event.
The car “sped up” into demonstrators. The incident was called a “suspected attack.” The suspect was known to police and had drug and theft incidents previously.
Before this, a boy and man were stabbed in Aschaffenburg. That attacker was also an asylum seeker whose application got rejected.
A car hit a Christmas market in Magdeburg in December of 2024. Six people died and over 200 others were injured.
Right-wing protests followed that carnage. In May, a knifeman was shot by police after he attacked an anti-Islam rally. One victim was Michael Stürzenberger, who had surgery for stab wounds. The attack happened at a BPE group gathering, a group with anti-Islam views. The attack was live-streamed online, and the attacker also stabbed a police officer.