Two dead, driver arrested after car ploughs into people in Germany's Leipzig

Incident reported on Grimmaische street

Updated 8.05pm

A car ploughed into people on a street in Germany's eastern city of Leipzig on Monday, leaving at least two dead and several injured, authorities said.

The driver was arrested after the vehicle careered from a main square down a major city centre street, close to historic sites.

Leipzig mayor Burkhard Jung confirmed two people had died, adding: "We still don't really know the motivation. We don't know anything about the perpetrator".

Leipzig fire service chief Axel Schuh also gave a death toll of two.

Two people were also seriously injured, and two others were "affected", he said.

Police said in a post on X that the car ploughed into people on Grimmaische street and then "fled the scene".

But they later arrested the driver, adding that "there is currently no further danger from him".

Police deployed in large numbers along with firefighters, emergency medical personnel and two helicopters.

Germany has faced a string of car-ramming attacks in recent years.

In December 2024, at least six people were killed and hundreds wounded in a car-ramming attack on the Christmas market in the eastern city of Magdeburg.

There have also been similar attacks in Munich and Berlin.

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