The Latest: German police search home of deadly van driver

The Associated Press
The Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — The Latest on the vehicle that has crashed into a crowd in the German city of Muenster (all times local):

7:15 p.m.

A leading German newspaper is reporting that authorities believe there is no terrorist motive behind the deadly van crash in Muenster and the driver is believed to be a middle-aged German man who had psychological issues.

The Sueddeutsche Zeitung paper also says the suspect’s apartment was being searched for possible explosives.

German officials haven’t yet indicated what they think is the motive behind Saturday’s crash into a crowd at a popular Muenster bar, which killed three people and left 20 others injured.

At the same time, police say they are checking witness reports that other perpetrators might have fled from the van at the scene of the crash.

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7 p.m.

German police say they are checking witness reports that other perpetrators may have fled from a van that crashed into a crowd in Muenster, killing three people and injuring 20 before its driver shot himself to death.

Police spokesman Andreas Bode says witnesses told them others left the van after it crashed Saturday afternoon into a crowd outside a popular bar in the western German city. The German news agency dpa reported that witnesses spoke of two others in the van besides the driver.

Bode also said police had found a suspicious object inside the van and were investigating it.

Police have urged people in Muenster to stay inside their homes and avoid the crash scene in the city’s historic downtown.

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6:30 p.m.

The mayor of Muenster says authorities don’t yet know the motive behind the van crash that killed three and injured 20 people in his western German city.

Mayor Markus Lewe told reporters that “all of Muenster is mourning this horrible incident. Our sympathy is with the relatives of those who were killed. We wish the injured a quick recovery.”

The van crashed into people sitting in front of the famous Kiepenkerl bar on a warm Saturday afternoon in the city’s historic downtown.

Police say the driver of the van shot himself to death inside the van after the crash. His identity is not yet known.

Germany’s top security official, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, said federal authorities are in close contact with officials in North Rhine-Westphalia state, where Muenster is located, and all are trying to figure out what happened.

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6:15 p.m.

Police say a suspicious object has been found in the van that ran into a crowd in the German city of Muenster, killing three people and injuring 20 others.

Police say they’re still examining what kind of an object it is and whether it’s dangerous. They say the driver of the van killed himself after running into a crowd in front of a popular bar in the western city.

Police told German news agency dpa that the object was the reason why a large area around the scene was sealed off after the crash on Saturday afternoon.

Muenster Mayor Markus Lewe says the reason for the crash is still unclear.

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6:05 p.m.

A German police spokesman says three people were killed and 20 injured when a van crashed into a crowd in front of a popular bar in downtown Muenster.

Andreas Bode told reporters the driver of the van shot himself dead inside the car after the crash Saturday afternoon. He said the driver’s identity was not yet known.

The van crashed into people sitting in front of the famous Kiepenkerl bar on one of the first spring days in the western German city.

Bode said six of the 20 injured were in severe condition.

Police said it was too early to speculate about the motive behind the crash and say they are still investigating. They have urged people in Muenster to avoid the city’s downtown area.

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5:45 p.m.

A spokeswoman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel says “our thoughts are with the victims and their families” who were killed and injured when a vehicle crashed into a crowd in the western German city of Muenster.

Spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer on Twitter called the crash Saturday “terrible news.”

Police in Muenster say a vehicle crashed into a crowd in front of a pub in the city’s historic downtown area, killing and injuring people before the driver killed himself.

The German news agency dpa reports that a large-scale police operation is underway and that much of the area is cordoned off to the public.

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5:20 p.m.

Police in the western German city of Muenster say a vehicle has crashed into a crowd there, killing several people and injuring others.

The German news agency dpa has quoted police as saying the driver of that car in Muenster has killed himself.

Police tweeted Saturday afternoon that residents should “avoid the area near the Kiepenkerl pub” where a large-scale police operation is underway. Kiepenkerl is a popular bar in the city’s historic downtown area.

Further details about the crash were not immediately available.

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