A driver drove a vehicle into a group of people in Munich on Thursday, injuring dozens, German police said.
At least 20 people were injured, some critically and severely, police said on German television but it’s still unknown if it was a deliberate hit or an accident.
The Munich Security Conference is to start tomorrow and US Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are arriving in the city today.
The incident unfolded near downtown Munich about 10.30am (8.30pm AEDT) and a damaged Mini could be seen at the scene.
Mayor Dieter Reiter said he was “deeply shocked” by the incident. He said that children were among those injured.
CNN reports there is a large-scale police operation under way near the central train station and officers are working to verify what has happened, a spokesperson said without giving further details.
Police said on X they were able to detain the driver and did not consider him to pose any further threat.
A demonstration by the service workers’ union Verdi was taking place at the time of the incident. It was not immediately clear whether demonstrators were among the injured.
The union said it did not have any information on the incident.
One eyewitness recalled police shooting at the car.
“I saw that a man was lying underneath the car,” the eyewitness told German program BR24.
“Then I tried to open the door, but it was locked.”
Eventually, the eyewitness retreated and turned to those injured, BR24 reported.
The Bavarian capital will see heavy security in the coming days as the three-day conference, an annual gathering of international foreign and security policy officials, opens on Friday.
– Reported with Associated Press and CNN
