At least 20 people were injured on Thursday when a car drove into a crowd in Munich, as the southern German city prepared for a high-level security conference set to host U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
According to Bild newspaper, authorities are investigating whether the Mini Cooper driver deliberately targeted the crowd or mistook the accelerator for the brake.
Police confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that they had detained the driver, stating that he posed no further threat. However, they declined to comment on whether the incident was intentional or accidental.
A Munich police spokesperson said:
“At least 20 people were injured, some seriously and critically.”
The incident prompted a large-scale police operation near Munich’s central train station.
A local BR broadcaster reporter described the chaotic scene on X:
“One person is lying on the street, and a young man has been taken away by police. People are sitting on the ground, crying and trembling.”
Reports suggest the incident involved people participating in a demonstration related to a strike organized by the Verdi union. However, the union stated it had no further information about the event.
Authorities have set up a witness gathering point at Loewenbraeukeller, one of Munich’s oldest beer halls.
The crash took place around 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) from the security conference venue.
Security concerns in Germany have been heightened ahead of next week’s federal elections, following a series of violent attacks across the country.
