Germany has been shaken by a series of car-ramming attacks in recent years, including one targeting a Christmas market in 2024 in Magdeburg, and also in Berlin and Munich.
In the latest incident in Leipzig, the driver was arrested after his vehicle careered from a main square down a major city centre street, close to historic sites.
Leipzig mayor Burkhard Jung gave a death toll of two, adding: “We still don’t really know the motivation. We don’t know anything about the perpetrator.”
Police and the fire service also said two people were killed.
At least two people were seriously injured while 20 others were more lightly hurt, according to local fire chief Axel Schuh.
Police said that the car ploughed into people on Grimmaische street, a major pedestrian zone in the city’s old town lined with shops and historic buildings.
“The driver has been arrested; there is currently no further danger from him,” they said.
The driver stopped of his own accord, they added.
TV pictures showed a white vehicle with a badly damaged windshield and hood, and the street cordoned off and surrounded by emergency vehicles.
Police deployed in large numbers along with firefighters, emergency medical personnel and two helicopters.
