2 Dead And 20 Injured After Van Drives Into Pedestrians Outside German Pub

The driver is also dead after fatally shooting himself, police said.

Two people died Saturday after a van crashed into pedestrians enjoying a sunny afternoon outside a pub in Muenster, Germany, said Herbert Reul, the country’s interior minister of North Rhine-Westfalia.

The driver is also dead after fatally shooting himself, police said. Germany’s Federal Ministry of the Interior previously said four were dead, including the driver.

Police say 20 others were injured near the popular establishment in the city’s historic old town, with six in severe condition, The Associated Press reported. Authorities are not looking for other suspects, according to the BBC.

Reul said the driver, whose name has not yet been released, is a German national. German media reported the driver had a history of mental health struggles.

A vehicle drove into pedestrians in Muenster, Germany, on Saturday.
A vehicle drove into pedestrians in Muenster, Germany, on Saturday.
HuffPost Germany

While the attack appears deliberate, police have not said whether it is terrorism-related as they continue investigating.

“There is no indication whatsoever of an Islamist background at this point,” Reul said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel reacted to the incident on Twitter, writing that she would do “everything possible to investigate the act and to support the families of the victims,” per The New York Times.

Located near the Dutch border, Muenster is a small city of around 300,000 dominated by a university of the same name. Its charming city center was rebuilt to resemble its former self after sustaining damage in World War II.

The Muenster incident echoes the December 2016 terror attack in Berlin, in which a van plowed into a Christmas market, leaving 12 dead.

This story has been updated with more details about the incident.

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