Dozens of people, including children, were injured in the German town of Volkmarsen on Monday when a car apparently driven by a local man crashed into a Carnival parade.
Police said they suspect the driver of deliberately steering his vehicle into the parade, and opened an investigation into attempted homicide.
A police spokesperson said that the authorities did not see any indication of a politically motivated act, although the Interior Ministry of the state of Hesse said a politically motivated attack couldn’t be ruled out.
Thirty people, including some children, were injured in the incident, seven of them severely, Frankfurt police chief Gerhard Bereswill said.
The driver has been arrested, 29 years old and from the area, according to investigators, Hesse’s Interior Ministry said he was not yet fit for questioning.
The newspaper Bild quoted a witness as saying that the driver had been surrounded by angry people with raised fists and had to be protected by police.
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The man had driven at high speed into the parade, Hesse’s Interior Ministry said.
Police said their investigations into the motive were proceeding in all directions.
North Hesse police appealed to those who had taken photographs and videos in Volkmarsen not to circulate them and to hold back from speculation.
Local newspapers reported witnesses as saying that the driver had gone round a barrier and sped into the crowd.
Volkmarsen is a small town of around 6,800 citizens that lies around 30 kilometres from Kassel, in west-central Germany.
Carnival is celebrated predominantly in Catholic communities across Germany, with a series of parades and parties in the days leading up to Ash Wednesday.
No more Carnival parades were allowed on Monday in Hesse for safety reasons, with police presence strengthened across the state.
dpa/NAN
