A Vehicle Has Struck A Crowd In The German City Of Muenster, Leaving Three Dead

Authorities said the suspected driver shot himself and was among the dead.

Stephan R. / AFP / Getty Images

At least two people died on Saturday when a vehicle rammed into a crowd of people dining outdoors at a restaurant in the western German city of Muenster, before the driver then shot himself.

Local newspaper Westfälische Nachrichten reported the vehicle drove at high speed into a crowd enjoying warm weather in the city's old town.

Police spokesperson Andreas Bode told public broadcaster WDR that three people had been killed. He said 20 others were injured, including six seriously.

The suspected driver had shot himself, Bode said. Herbert Reul, the interior minister of the North Rhine-Westphalia state, told the local public broadcaster the driver was among the tally of three dead.

Reul also said the offender was a German man with no Islamist background. Multiple earlier reports had said the man was mentally ill.

On Twitter, police told people to avoid the area near the Kleiner Kiepenkerl restaurant, saying there had been deaths and injuries.

"We are on site with all our force," police wrote. "You can help us by avoiding the area and please do not speculate."

"At the moment, rescue workers are tending to the injured," police added.

In a photo from the scene shared on Twitter, the restaurant's outdoor seating appeared scattered and smashed by a vehicle.

"All of Münster is appalled by the human-despising violence that has struck our city out of the blue," said Muenster mayor Markus Lewe.

"A sad, a terrible day for our country!" tweeted Armin Laschet, the Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, where Muenster is located.

The German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said he was dismayed at the incident and that federal authorities were working with local police.

This isn’t the first time a vehicle has been driven into a crowd in Germany.

In Dec. 2016, a truck intentionally crashed into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 and injuring 48 others.

The attacker, who had posted a video pledging allegiance to ISIS, was later killed in a shoot-out with police.

Ferdinand Ostrop / AP

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