Germany: Over 30 people injured as man ploughs car into carnival parade

Around 30 people have been injured when a car was purposefully driven in a carnival parade in Germany, according to police. According to reports, the authorities have arrested a local man following the incident that occurred in Volkmarsen in the central state of Hesse. 

Driver's motives still unknown

According to reports, the German police have confirmed that the driver of the vehicle was a 29-year-old German citizen. Local media has reported that while the authorities have apprehended the driver, he is not yet fit for questioning. Reports have further stated that the eyewitnesses have claimed that the driver specifically targeted children and drove into the carnival crowd 'at full throttle'.

Reports have claimed that children were indeed among those injured in the incident. The police have not announced any deaths in the incident. Reports and video footage shows that the car that drove into the crowd was a silver Mercedes station wagon.
Video footage also shows the car on the pavement with its hazard lights blinking. Volkmarsen is 175 miles south of Berlin and the government have been reportedly urger not to spread misinformation and un-confirmed news.

Reports have claimed that the authorities believe that it is still too early to definitively say why the suspect drove the car into the crowd

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Read: Germany: At Least 8 Killed, 5 Injured In Twin Shootings In Hanau

This latest incident comes less than a week after a gunmen shot 10 people dead in a shooting that took place in the town of Hanau, which is also located in Hesse state.

The gunman who killed nine people in Germany's Hanau and then turned his weapon on his own mother and then himself reportedly did it out of apparent hatred of minorities. According to reports, the 43-year-old gunman has been identified as Tobias Rathjen. Citing a video and a lengthy manifesto Rathjen had posted on social media, investigators have reportedly said that he appeared to have been motivated by racism. Reports claim that authorities are treating the attacks as an act of domestic terrorism.

Read: Hanau Gunman Posted Manifesto Railing Against Ethnic Minorities, Called For Genocide

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