Mon Mar 03 15:40:46 UTC 2025: ## Car Rams into Crowd in Mannheim, Germany; Multiple Casualties Reported
**Mannheim, Germany** – A black SUV plowed into a crowd of pedestrians in Mannheim’s main shopping street, Planken, on Monday, leaving at least two dead and several others injured, according to German media reports. The incident occurred during carnival celebrations, as large crowds gathered in the city center.
Witnesses described the vehicle, traveling at high speed from Paradeplatz square towards the water tower, knocking over numerous pedestrians. Mannheimer Morgen and Mannheim24 news outlets reported that several people suffered severe injuries.
Police have arrested one suspect in connection with the incident, but it remains unclear whether others were involved. Authorities are appealing to the public to avoid the inner city area, while rescue and relief operations are underway. Police spokesperson Stefan Wilhelm declined to release further details on the casualties, though initial reports suggested multiple fatalities and injuries.
The incident has heightened security concerns in Germany, following recent violent attacks, including deadly car rammings in Magdeburg and Munich, and a stabbing in Mannheim earlier this year. Police were already on high alert for this year’s carnival parades, due to online threats from groups like ISIS targeting similar events in Cologne and Nuremberg. The attack comes just weeks after a similar incident in Munich, resulting in the deaths of a 37-year-old woman and her two-year-old daughter.
The investigation is ongoing.
First Piper 