Four to five people were injured after a BMW was allegedly driven into a group in Neustadt am Rübenberge, near Hanover.
Police intervened and fired shots at the vehicle, but its occupants fled and remained at large on Tuesday.
Investigators are examining the circumstances of the incident; police have not confirmed a motive or linked it to extremism.
Several people were injured after a car was deliberately driven into a group of people in Neustadt am Rübenberge, a town near Hanover in northern Germany, shortly before midnight on Monday (local time). The occupants of the vehicle fled after police intervened, and the suspects remained at large on Tuesday as authorities launched a search. Police said four to five people sustained injuries ranging from minor to severe.
The incident involved a BMW that was driven into the group shortly before midnight, according to a police spokesperson. A nearby patrol conducting a routine traffic check intervened, preventing further harm. Officers fired shots at the vehicle during the incident, but its occupants escaped. Police said preliminary information suggested that those involved knew one another, although investigators had not established the motive or provided further details about the suspects.
Police Investigate Deliberate Vehicle Ramming
Authorities are investigating the incident as a deliberate vehicle ramming, with the circumstances surrounding the confrontation still unclear. Police have not announced any arrests, and the occupants of the BMW remained at large as of Tuesday. Investigators are expected to establish the sequence of events, identify those involved and determine why the vehicle was driven into the group. Police have not publicly confirmed a political, religious or extremist motive.
The injuries ranged from minor to severe, but authorities have not released the identities of the victims or provided a detailed breakdown of their conditions. The police patrol was nearby carrying out a routine traffic check when it intervened. The officers’ response prevented further harm, according to the police spokesperson cited by Reuters. Further details about the use of firearms and the suspects’ escape had not been made public at the time of reporting.
Suspects Remain At large As Search Continues
The search for the BMW’s occupants continued on Tuesday, with police yet to disclose their identities or the nature of their relationship with the victims. The preliminary assessment that those involved knew one another may prove relevant to investigators, but authorities have not confirmed whether the incident stemmed from a personal dispute or another motive.
The incident comes amid a series of vehicle-ramming attacks in Germany in recent years, although the circumstances and motives have differed from case to case.
In May, two people were killed when a car struck pedestrians in central Leipzig, while a July attack near Berlin’s Pride celebrations left one person dead and dozens injured. Authorities have not linked the incident near Hanover to those earlier attacks, and there is no confirmed evidence that it was politically or ideologically motivated.
