Car drives into crowd in German city of Mannheim killing at least one

MANNHEIM: A car drove into a crowd of people in the western German city of Mannheim on Monday, killing at least one person, injuring several others and overshadowing carnival celebrations in the region where police had been on alert for security attacks.

The car's driver was detained, a police spokesperson said, adding that it was unclear whether there were other suspects. Police have appealed to the public to stay away from the city centre.

People were seen lying on the ground at the scene and at least two were being resuscitated, an eyewitness told Reuters. Bild newspaper reported that two people were killed and 25 injured, citing security sources.

It was unclear whether the driver acted deliberately or if there was any connection to Germany's carnival celebrations, which culminated on Rose Monday with a number of parades, although not in Mannheim, which held its main event on Sunday.

A black car drove at high speed into a group of people, travelling from the centrally located Paradeplatz square towards the city's landmark water tower, the Mannheim24 news website reported.

Security has been a key concern in Germany following a string of violent attacks in recent weeks, including deadly car rammings in Magdeburg in December and in Munich last month, as well as a stabbing in Mannheim in May 2024.

Police were on high alert for this year's carnival parades after social media accounts linked to the Daesh militant group called for attacks on the events in Cologne and Nuremberg.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser cancelled her attendance at the parade in Cologne on Monday, Germany's biggest, due to the events in Mannheim, a spokesperson for the minister said.

Rose Monday, the culmination of the annual carnival season celebrated in Germany's mainly Catholic western and southern regions, features parades of floats that often include comical or satirical references to current affairs.

This year's carnival has included floats featuring US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, tech billionaire Elon Musk and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Dressed in traditional jester costumes and sporting colourful makeup, thousands of partygoers danced through the streets of Cologne, Dusseldorf and other cities in western and southern Germany ahead of the fasting season of Lent.