Germany: Two People Killed by Car in Pedestrian Zone in Trier

Two people have died after a car hit several pedestrians in the German city of Trier, police said on Tuesday.

The driver has been detained and a vehicle seized, police in the south-western city said, speaking of "several casualties."

The suspect is a 51-year-old German man and a local resident, according to a police tweet. He apparently drove into people at random in a pedestrianized area near the city's landmark Roman city gate.

Witnesses at the scene described that people had been hurled into the air by the car.

The incident sparked a major response by emergency services and large parts of central Trier were blocked off.

However, police later said that there was no longer any threat to the public.

Footage posted on social media appeared to show the presumed driver being held by several officers next to the damaged car.

A Christmas market that is usually held in the area was cancelled this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but shops were open. The streets have been cordoned off.

Further details, including on a possible motive, were not yet available.

Trier Mayor Wolfram Leibe spoke of a "rampage driver in the city centre" in an interview with the SWR public broadcaster, adding that up to 15 people were injured.

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