Man drives van into restaurant in Germany, killing two plus himself

[rooster59]

Man drives van into restaurant in Germany, killing two plus himself

By Elke Ahlswede

 

Police block a street near a place where a man drove a van into a group of people sitting outside a popular restaurant in the old city centre of Muenster, Germany, April 7 2018. Muenster Germany, April 7, 2018. REUTERS/Staff

 

MUENSTER, Germany (Reuters) - A German man drove a van into a group of people sitting outside a restaurant in the old city centre of Muenster in western Germany on Saturday, killing two of them before shooting himself dead, police and state officials said.

 

The vehicle ploughed into people seated at tables outside the Grosser Kiepenkerl eatery, a popular destination for tourists in the pretty university city.

 

Herbert Reul, interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, home to Muenster, told German television the suspect was a German citizen and there was "no indication of an Islamist background".

 

Police spokesman Andreas Bode earlier said: "At 15:27 (1327 GMT), a vehicle drove into the outside area of the restaurant ... three people were killed, 20 injured, and six of those seriously injured."

 

"The perpetrator killed himself in the vehicle," Bode added.

 

Reul said the three dead included the perpetrator.

 

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported in its online edition that the perpetrator was Jens R., 48, who resided some 2 km (1.2 miles) from the crime scene.

 

Broadcaster ZDF said police were searching his apartment and that he had contact with far-right extremists, but there was no evidence thus far that he was a far-right extremist himself.

 

The Sueddeutsche Zeitung said the man had psychological problems. The Interior Ministry in North Rhine-Westphalia would neither confirm nor deny the report.

 

Bode said investigators were looking at the possibility that other suspects fled the scene, though they had no evidence that this was the case, he added.

 

Bild newspaper said police were searching for two possible additional suspects after witnesses said they had seen two people jump out of the van. Jens R. had no police record, the newspaper said.

 

"The crime scene investigators are checking out the crime scene, trying to identify, investigate and secure traces. That is our current task," Bode said.

 

A police spokeswoman said: "The danger is over."

 

Martin Wiech, who said he had studied in Muenster, told Der Spiegel he had driven there to go shopping and was now unable to return to his car.

 

"Unbelievable that something like this could happen in Muenster. It is one of the most peaceful cities I know," he said.

 

MERKEL 'SHAKEN'

 

The incident came one year to the day after a truck attack in Stockholm that killed five people.

 

It also evoked memories of a December 2016 truck attack in Berlin that killed 12. In that attack, Anis Amri, a failed Tunisian asylum seeker with Islamist links, hijacked a truck, killed the driver and then ploughed into a crowded marketplace, killing 11 more people and injuring dozens of others.

 

Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a statement she was "deeply shaken".

 

"Everything possible is now being done to clarify the facts and to support the victims and their relatives", she added.

 

On Saturday evening, the White House issued a statement sending U.S. President Donald Trump's "thoughts and prayers" to the families of those killed.

 

French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted: "All my thoughts are with the victims of the attack in Muenster. France shares in Germany's suffering".

 

Der Spiegel reported that police were investigating a similar incident that occurred in the eastern German city of Cottbus on Friday evening, when a man drove his car into a group of people, injuring two, before fleeing.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-04-08

[metisdead]

A post in violation of fair use policy has been removed,  RT News is not a credible source anyway. 

[sweatalot]

They make it very clear that the perpetrator was a German man with a German name. They forgot to mention that he was not a muslim convertit. (I am not saying he was)

 

Anyway why do I have difficulty in believing them?

[sanemax]

8 minutes ago, sweatalot said:

They make it very clear that the perpetrator was a German man with a German name. They forgot to mention that he was not a muslim convertit. (I am not saying he was)

 

Anyway why do I have difficulty in believing them?

Maybe its because you think that only Muslims commit this kind of thing and no non Muslim would ever do such a thing ?

[stevenl]

40 minutes ago, sweatalot said:

They make it very clear that the perpetrator was a German man with a German name. They forgot to mention that he was not a muslim convertit. (I am not saying he was)

 

Anyway why do I have difficulty in believing them?

Because you suffer from xenophobia?

[ToddinChonburi]

Sounds like a terrorist attack to me .

[sanemax]

2 minutes ago, ToddinChonburi said:

Sounds like a terrorist attack to me .

Sounds like a domestic dispute .

He targeted two specific people and then killed himself 

[sawadee1947]

4 hours ago, sweatalot said:

They make it very clear that the perpetrator was a German man with a German name. They forgot to mention that he was not a muslim convertit. (I am not saying he was)

 

Anyway why do I have difficulty in believing them?

don't worry. It's only a brain problem. In this case you should see a doctor....

[sawadee1947]

1 hour ago, car720 said:

German or not.

Muslim or not.

It is still a sign of a future to come.

The times they are a changin'.

Uuuhhh now we have to be afraid and anxious......evil ghosts will come....55555555

[jenny2017]

They say that they are not yet sure if it was a terrorist act.

 

    https://www.aol.com/article/news/2018/04/07/several-dead-after-man-drives-van-into-restaurant-in-germany/23405501/

[watcharacters]

4 hours ago, metisdead said:

A post in violation of fair use policy has been removed,  RT News is not a credible source anyway. 

 

 

Would an official ThaiVisa Forum official please let the membership know what are credible sourses?

 

TIA

[Kiwiken]

Such attacks happen World wide. Most are not religion relate. Most are people with mental issues, Drug problem or alcohol related or all 3.

Vehicles are weapons unfortunately accessible to those with the frame of mind to maim or kill.

[BuaBS]

3 hours ago, watcharacters said:

 

 

Would an official ThaiVisa Forum official please let the membership know what are credible sourses?

 

TIA

You mean what they considder credible sources ....

[jenny2017]

3 hours ago, watcharacters said:

 

 

Would an official ThaiVisa Forum official please let the membership know what are credible sourses?

 

TIA

I guess they meant credible sources and that should be clear, or? Bild Zeitung in Germany is not one. 

Edited April 8, 2018 by jenny2017

[jenny2017]

12 minutes ago, BuaBS said:

You mean what they considder credible sources ....

 They consider that two others were involved but when reading that it's from BILD, that's an absolute rubbish newspaper. 

Edited April 8, 2018 by jenny2017

[dunroaming]

3 hours ago, Kiwiken said:

Such attacks happen World wide. Most are not religion relate. Most are people with mental issues, Drug problem or alcohol related or all 3.

Vehicles are weapons unfortunately accessible to those with the frame of mind to maim or kill.

Latest reports (Sunday 2.00pm) is that it is not terrorist related and the man was a German citizen with known mental problems. 

[JemJem]

This might turn out to be one of the very few mass attacks for which the motive will possibly never be known. Just like the Las Vegas massacre.

[observer90210]

The primitive minds [racists] must be frustrated, as the perpetrator was a pure german...

 

Now was the murderer targetting foreigners or tourists specifically ?

 

RIP to the innocent who were murdered.

Edited April 8, 2018 by observer90210

[nausea]

Jens R must've been a very shy boy, as no photo seems to be available; he hasn't even been officially named yet. One assumes there are good reasons for both omissions, presumably to do with the investigative process. And yeah, they are belabouring the points that he wasn't a refugee, was a German national, and suffered from the obligatory mental problems.

[DM07]

Tin- foil hats, anyone?

The driver was German!

End of!

Take your muslim- hatin, racist BS elsewhere!

[watcharacters]

21 hours ago, BuaBS said:

You mean what they considder credible sources ....

 

 

Yes it should be easy enough I'd suppose.

 

I'm not questioning moderation but I think the forum admin. owes the membership an  explanation and clarification as to what sources are OK for the TVF  site.

 

Simply saying the source is not allowed  leaves others  likely to make the same error.    That's unfair.

 

 

[Rimmer]

An unsupported conspiracy theory has been removed

[jenny2017]

9 hours ago, nausea said:

Jens R must've been a very shy boy, as no photo seems to be available; he hasn't even been officially named yet. One assumes there are good reasons for both omissions, presumably to do with the investigative process. And yeah, they are belabouring the points that he wasn't a refugee, was a German national, and suffered from the obligatory mental problems.

 No attack on all Germans, please. You're assaulting me. 

Edited April 9, 2018 by jenny2017