Berlin crash was a ‘cruel rampage’ says German Chancellor

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the Berlin crash a “cruel rampage” on Monday, killing one and injuring others.

Scholz said the 29-year-old’s attack was “deeply sad”. Berlin Mayor Francis Giffey told local media that the attack was “a dark day in Berlin’s history”.

He said the man still detained by police was “mentally ill”. Local media said the suspect, who was identified as a German Armenian resident in the city, was working with investigators. However, Giffy warned that he had made “confusing statements” several times. The man’s sister, Bild, told German tabloids he had “serious problems” and senior Berlin security official Iris Spranger said: “Evidence shows that the psychopath is upset.”

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Spranger denied previous Bild reports that a “poster expressing his views on Turkey” had been found in the man’s car, but that confessions had been found in the car. An official said: “The cause of the accident is being investigated in detail.”

Most of the injured were students who went on a trip to celebrate graduation. They traveled from Bad Arolsen, a small town north of Hesse, Germany.

The woman who died was identified as a teacher. Another teacher is still in critical condition.

Hesse mayor Jürgen van der Horst told Bild that “everyone in Bad Arolsen has been affected by the tragedy.” “It’s a big school in a small town, everyone here knows everything and is in contact with the victims’ families,” Van der Horst said.

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Witnesses said they saw a silver Renault Clio beating a crowd on a bustling sidewalk near Berlin’s bustling Kurfürstendamm shopping mall on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. local time (08:30 GMT). . According to France-Presse, only one witness named F. Kachan got out of the car and started running, but “we managed to stop her.”

The man was unknown to the security services, but the police arrested him for a property crime, Bild reports. The incident took place in front of Breitscheidplatz, during the 2016 terrorist attacks, when a truck intentionally hit people gathered at a Christmas market, killing 12 people.

On Wednesday, the mayor said it was too early to know if the area had been deliberately chosen, but said, “It’s not for the gods anymore, it’s what you think!” said.

Following the 2016 attack on the Christmas Market, concrete barriers were erected around the site to deter future attacks, but Giffy acknowledged that it was impossible to provide such protection to the “whole city”.