Three dead in Germany as van ploughs into crowd in Muenster & Police foil terror plot Post#5

[Abdullah719]

Three people have been killed in the city of Muenster, in western Germany, after a van drove into pedestrians.

The driver of the vehicle killed himself, police said, without providing further details. They are not looking for more suspects.

About 30 people are reported injured in the incident, which occurred near the Kiepenkerl statue in the old town. Some are said to be in a serious condition.

Police have closed the area and asked people to avoid the city centre.

They said a suspicious object was found in the van but did not specify what it was. Police spokesman Andreas Bode said it was still too early to declare the incident an attack.

The Kiepenkerl statue is located in a popular pedestrian area in the middle of the historic old town. There are traditional inns and restaurants in the vicinity with outdoor seating.

Photographs posted on social media showed tables and chairs strewn at the scene.

An eyewitness told the BBC that he saw the vehicle drive at speed into a restaurant's seated area, so he was sure it was a deliberate attack.

Ulrike Demmer, the federal government's deputy spokesperson, said the government's thoughts were with the victims and their families.

In December 2016, a lorry ploughed into a crowd at a Christmas market in the German capital, Berlin, killing 12 people.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-eur...dt/germany&link_location=live-reporting-story

 

[Poutine]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">German daily <a href="https://twitter.com/SZ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SZ</a> is now reporting that perpetrator of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/M%C3%BCnster?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Münster</a> attack is thought to be German citizen w/ psychological issues. (1/2)</p>— yassin musharbash (@abususu) <a href="https://twitter.com/abususu/status/982664655964393472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Poutine]

Extremely tragic news. RIP to all the victims.

 

[DeadBall]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">UPDATE: The interior minister of North-Rhine Westphalia, Herbert Reul, confirms that the driver of the vehicle in the Münster incident was a 49-year-old German citizen. In addition, “there is currently no indication of an Islamist background."<br>More: <a href="https://t.co/Ke2wpDSvyP">https://t.co/Ke2wpDSvyP</a></p>— dwnews (@dwnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/dwnews/status/982691334766186497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

German police have foiled an alleged plot to attack Sunday's half-marathon in Berlin.

They said six men were arrested over plans to carry out a "violent crime".

Die Welt newspaper says one man detained planned to mount a deadly knife attack on participants and spectators.

The newspaper reports the men have suspected links to a Tunisian man who killed 12 people in the city in a December 2016 truck attack.

Anis Amri was shot dead in Milan days later after a Europe-wide manhunt.

He had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.

Sunday's police statement said that several addresses were searched along with two vehicles. Those detained were aged between 18 and 21.

The police declined to give further details as their inquiries are ongoing.

An unnamed senior police official is quoted as telling Die Welt: "We are still making our assessment. But it was probably a close call."

More than 30,000 athletes participated in the half-marathon event on Sunday.

Earlier, German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer reiterated that the government was committed to national security.

He was speaking in Muenster, where two people were killed and 20 more injured on Saturday after a van was driven into the outdoor seating area of a restaurant.

Officials say the suspect in that attack, who killed himself, is not known to have any terror links, and is thought to be a German national with mental health issues.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43690192