2 killed and several injured in suspected car ramming in Mannheim, Germany

At least two people were killed and several more were injured in a suspected car ramming in the west German city of Mannheim on Monday, officials said.

A suspect was identified and arrested, Mannheim Police said in a statement. A spokesperson for the state interior ministry in Stuttgart said the suspect is a 40-year-old German man who lives in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Police said at this time, “it is not assumed that there is a political background.”

The attack happened around 12:15 p.m local time. Five people were seriously injured, police said in a news release. Five others suffered minor injuries. They were all taken to different hospitals.

A major police operation was underway and people were urged to avoid the city center, which has been busy due to an ongoing carnival season. The Mannheimer Morgan newspaper spoke to an eyewitness who saw a car drive into several pedestrians.

Following the attack, the city of Heidelberg said it was canceling its carnival parade on Tuesday.

“The terrible images from Mannheim are shocking and our thoughts are with the victims and their families,” Mayor Eckart Würzner said in a translated statement. “This is the second time within a year that our neighboring city has suffered such a terrible act of violence — in a situation like this, it was inconceivable for us to celebrate a joyful carnival procession here in Heidelberg.”

The news comes just 18 days after two people were killed and at least 28 people injured in a car-ramming in Munich. Police said the suspected driver, a 24-year-old Afghan national, may have had an “extremist background.”

The western German city of Mannheim is in the middle of the Rhineland region’s carnival season, with colorful parades taking place this week alongside a market featuring food stalls, rides and games.