At least four people, including Syrian and Afghan nationals, have been injured after a man chased people in his car on New Year’s Eve in Germany and attempted to ram the vehicle into them, police said in a statement.
The 50-year-old suspect first started going after pedestrians in the city of Bottrop in west-central Germany, law enforcement announced on Tuesday. He then headed towards the city of Essen, 9km to the south of Bottrop, where he was finally detained.
In #Bottrop raste der Nazi-Amokfahrer (50) hier am Berliner Platz auf eine Menschenmenge zu, vier Menschen (u.a. aus Syrien und Afghanistan) wurden zum Teil schwer verletzt. pic.twitter.com/xciiG7FZV9
— Andreas Wegener (@Andreas_Wegener) January 1, 2019
During the hunt in the latter, he managed to injure at least four people, some of them seriously. Among the victims are Syrian and Afghan nationals.
Police have not ruled out that the perpetrator may have acted on “xenophobic” grounds. There are also reports that he may have mental health issues.
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