At Least Four Injured in German Vehicular Attack

According to German police, the suspect rammed his car into a crowded pedestrian area in Bottrop, Germany, shortly after midnight on New Year’s Eve.

• By Jessica Davis
• Jan 03, 2019

A German man has been arrested on suspicion of a xenophobic attack after he drove his car into a crowd of people, including Syrian and Afghan citizens, according to the BBC.

According to German police, the suspect rammed his car into a crowded pedestrian area in Bottrop, Germany, shortly after midnight on New Year’s Eve. The suspect reportedly made racist comments later upon his arrest.

Four people were wounded in the attack, one of whom remains hospitalized.

Authorities said the suspect had also attempted to hit a pedestrian, but the pedestrian was able to get out of the way. They said he had also targeted a group of people at a bus stop.

"A German man deliberately drove into crowds of people... that were largely made up of foreigners," said Herbert Reul, interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia state. "There was a clear intention by this man to kill foreigners."

This is not the first time a vehicular attack has occurred in Germany. In 2016, a man drove his truck into a busy Berlin Christmas market and killed 12 people.