Three killed, 20 injured after van plows into crowded street in Germany

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Three people were killed and at least 20 others injured after a van plowed into a crowded area in the western Germany city of Meunster, police said on Saturday.

German authorities said it was too early to determine the motive of the driver who killed himself after the crash. Police have not revealed his identity yet.

A spokesperson for the German police, Andreas Bode, told reporters that a suspicious object was discovered in the van and was currently under investigation by authorities.

According to the Associated Press, six of the 20 injured people were in severe condition as police sealed off the area with dozens of ambulances waiting on site.

Police cautioned residents to “avoid the area near the Kiepenkerl pub” in the city’s downtown where helicopters were flying overhead and a “large-scale” operation was underway.

Following the accident, Ulrike Demmer, a spokesperson for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said the crash was “terrible news,” adding that “our thoughts are with the victims and their families” who were killed and injured.

Although the purpose of the incident is unknown, previous attacks in Germany have been claimed by the Islamic State (IS).

In November 2017, German police detained six Syrians suspected of planning terror attacks using “weapons or explosives” on behalf of IS. Nearly 500 police officers took part in apartment raids which were conducted in the cities of Kassel, Hannover, Essen, and Leipzig.

Germany has been the target of several attacks over the past few years. Last December, a failed Tunisian asylum seeker killed 12 people after plowing a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin.