Two dead as car ploughs into crowd in Germany's Leipzig

A car has ploughed into a crowd in the historic centre of the eastern German city of Leipzig, killing at least two people and injuring several others.

The driver, a 33-year-old German man, was arrested at the scene and officials said his motivation was unclear.

Germany has been shaken by a series of car-ramming attacks in recent years, including one targeting a Christmas market in 2024 in Magdeburg, and also in Berlin and Munich.

In the latest incident in Leipzig, a car careered from a major square in the old town down a busy pedestrian zone.

Michael Kretschmer, the leader of Saxony state, where Leipzig is located, said two people were killed, adding that the incident "shakes me to the core".

"We will do everything in our power to investigate it quickly and fully," he said.

"The rule of law will act with all due rigour."

While officials did not draw firm conclusions on his motive, several described the incident as an "Amokfahrt" - a German term suggesting a rampage driven by some kind of madness.

This kind of act was "often associated with psychological instability," said Armin Schuster, the interior minister in the Saxony state government, but added it would be up to police and prosecutors to determine if that was the case here.

Police said there was "no basis on current knowledge" to assume a political or religious motive on the part of the perpetrator.

A 63-year old woman and a 77-year old man, both German citizens, died in the incident, they added.

Around 20 others were more lightly hurt, according to the fire service.

Police said the car ploughed into people on Grimmaische street, a major pedestrian zone in the old town lined with shops and historic buildings.

The driver stopped of his own accord, they added.

The Irish Embassy in Berlin said it i was aware of the incident.

"Irish citizens in the area should follow the instructions of local authorities. Irish citizens who need to contact the Embassy can do so at +49 30220720," it said.

Series of rammings

TV pictures showed a white vehicle with a badly damaged windshield and hood, and the street cordoned off and surrounded by emergency vehicles.

Police deployed in large numbers in the city, which has a population of around 600,000, along with firefighters, emergency medical personnel and two helicopters.

Authorities said the driver was being investigated on suspicion of offences including murder and attempted murder.

He was believed to have acted alone, police said, and there was no ongoing danger in the city.

Leipzig appeared to be coming back to life quickly, with people sitting at outside tables a short distance from where the incident happened, an AFP correspondent at the scene said.

Germany has been on high alert for vehicle ramming attacks since December 2016, when an Islamic State group sympathiser ploughed a truck through a Berlin Christmas market.

In 2024, a Christmas market in Magdeburg was targeted by a Saudi man who drove a car into the crowd, killing six people and injuring more than 300.

In February 2025, a mother and her daughter were killed and around 30 people injured by the Afghan driver of a vehicle that rammed into a march in Munich.