A driver plowed into people in the center of the German city of Leipzig on Monday afternoon, leaving two people dead, police said.

At least three others have also been seriously injured after a car struck people down in Grimmaische Strasse in the centre of the city, around 5pm local time (4pm BST).

Police told The Independent that the two victims of the incident were German citizens.

A driver has been arrested, police said, identifying him as a 33-year-old man with German citizenship born in the Leipzig area. Prosecutors said he is under investigation on suspicion of murder and attempted murder; there was no immediate word on a possible motive.

Police spokesperson Susanne Lübcke said the driver stopped the car himself and was in the vehicle at the time he was detained.

The prime ​minister ⁠of the state of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer, said that the suspect had possible mental health issues. The interior minister of Saxony, Armin Schuster, said investigators believe the man acted alone. He said that rage and “psychological instability” are often factors in such cases, but added that he wouldn’t speculate on whether that was the case here.

The mayor described the incident as a “terrible tragedy”; officials believe this was a deliberate rampage.

The city’s fire service director, Axel Schuh, said that around 20 additional people were “affected,” without offering details.

Earlier local media reported that a damaged Volkswagen SUV ⁠with a person on top of the vehicle was seen speeding through a pedestrian zone.

Emergency services declared a mass casualty incident, and police are on the scene in large numbers. A German broadcaster cited eyewitnesses ​as saying there ‌were several bodies ⁠reportedly covered with ⁠sheets as well as ‌a stabbing.

Photos from the scene showed a car with a battered front and a shattered windshield after the incident.

Saxony Police said on social media that a police operation was taking place in central Leipzig, asking citizens to keep emergency routes clear and follow the instructions of the emergency services on site.

“A car struck several people in Grimmaische Strasse and fled. The driver has been apprehended, and there is currently no further danger emanating from him. We will continue to provide updates.”

The force asked that people avoid sharing unverified reports and photos or videos from the scene. “Get your information from official authority accounts and use verified news sources. Fake news makes our work on the ground more difficult. Thanks!”

Grimmaische Strasse, leads into central Leipzig’s shopping area. The city is located southwest of Berlin and has more than 630,000 inhabitants, making it one of the biggest cities in eastern Germany.

An eyewitness who works in one of the shops on the affected street told German media outlet FOCUS online that the incident had shocked them.

“I’m still completely shocked”, they said. “From inside the shop, I saw a car speed through. People were run over. That’s all I saw; then it drove out of my sight. The car was going at high speed; it was a larger vehicle. Now the street is full of ambulances and police.”

Like other European countries, Germany has witnessed a spate of car-ramming and stabbing incidents in recent years, some ⁠of which involved religious or political motivations and some carried out by people with mental health issues.

Last year, two people were killed in the western city of Mannheim, when a 40-year-old man drove a car into a group of pedestrians, only weeks after a similar attack on ‌a trade union demonstration in Munich, killing two ​and injuring more than 40, many children among them.

In ‌December 2024, several people ⁠were killed in a car-ramming attack on a ⁠Christmas market in the eastern city of Magdeburg. That incident came months ‌after a stabbing ​attack at a festival in ‌the western city of Solingen.

This is a breaking news story. More to follow.