Munich: At least 20 people were injured when a car drove into a crowd in Munich on Thursday, police said, as the southern German city prepares for a top-level security conference due to be attended by US Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky.
The Bild newspaper said police would have to establish whether the driver of the Mini Cooper had deliberately driven into the crowd or mixed up the accelerator and brake.
Police and emergency services stand near a damaged car that apparently drove into demonstrators marching in the city centre in Munich, Germany.Credit: Getty Images
Police said on X they had detained the driver and did not consider him to pose any further threat, but declined to comment on whether it was an accident.
“At least 20 people injured, some seriously and critically,” a spokesperson for Munich police said.
The Munich Security Conference starts on Friday and senior officials, including Vance and Zelenskiy, were arriving later on Thursday.
A large-scale police operation was underway near the city’s central train station.
The incident comes a day before the start of the Munich Security Conference, which draws scores of foreign government officials to the city.Credit: AP
“One person is lying on the street and a young man has been taken away by the police. People are sitting on the ground, crying and trembling,” a reporter for the local BR broadcaster wrote in a post on X.
The incident appeared to have affected people participating in a demonstration linked to a strike organised by the Verdi union, according to the broadcaster.
