BERLIN (AP) — A person drove a automotive right into a German faculty group standing in a well-liked Berlin purchasing district Wednesday, killing a trainer and severely injuring 9 individuals, authorities mentioned.
The person drove into individuals on a avenue nook at round 10:30 a.m. earlier than getting the automotive again on the highway after which crashing into a store window round a block additional on, police spokesman Thilo Cablitz mentioned.
Berlin’s prime safety official, Iris Spranger, mentioned the girl killed was a trainer on a faculty journey with college students from the central German state of Hesse.
Six individuals sustained life-threatening accidents and one other three have been severely injured, fireplace service spokesman Adrian Wentzel. Police mentioned greater than a dozen individuals have been injured.
The motive force was apparently detained by passers-by after which arrested swiftly by a police officer who was close to the scene, Cablitz mentioned. He mentioned police try to find out whether or not the person intentionally drove into pedestrians or whether or not it was an accident, probably attributable to a medical emergency.
Police later tweeted that the motive force was a 29-year-old German-Armenian who lived in Berlin.
Spranger mentioned posters have been discovered within the man’s automotive “by which he expressed views about Turkey.”
American-British actor John Barrowman, who was in a close-by retailer together with his companion on the time of the crash, described the scene as “carnage.” Giant numbers of police and first responders have been on the scene, he mentioned.
Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffey mentioned she was “deeply shocked” by the incident and that authorities have been retaining an open thoughts about potential motives.
Giffey mentioned the crash introduced “horrible reminiscences” of a truck assault greater than 5 years on the close by Breitscheidplatz sq.. An Islamic extremist drove right into a Christmas market in 2016, leading to 13 deaths.
In a 2019 incident in central Berlin, an SUV plowed into a gaggle of pedestrians, killing 4 individuals. The motive force had suffered an epileptic seizure and veered onto the sidewalk.
Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.
