Police in Germany are searching for the occupants of a BMW after it was allegedly driven at a crowd in a town near Hanover, injuring up to five people. Officers opened fire on the vehicle, but the occupants fled on foot.
The incident took place on Monday night in Neustadt am Rübenberge, where the BMW appeared to intentionally target a group of people, according to police. Up to five people were injured and taken to hospital, with some in a serious condition.
Police Fire on Vehicle
A police car was nearby at the time and shot at the BMW before other emergency services arrived, but they were unable to catch the occupants. Police do not have a clear figure on how many people were in the BMW, but say the car was abandoned with those inside fleeing.
So far police have been unable to catch the culprits, but detectives believe the individuals involved are known to each other. It is being treated as a deliberate act to target the crowd, a police spokesperson told local media, although the exact motive and circumstances are not clear.
Investigation and Road Closures
"The sequence of events and the precise involvement of those involved are still part of the ongoing investigation," the spokesperson said, reported Allgaeuer Zeitung. The area has been cordoned off, and the roads Herzog-Erich-Allee and Hannoversche Straße remain closed in both directions between Ludwig-Enneccerus-Platz and Am Schützenplatz this morning.
A spokesperson for the force told Zeit: "We are not investigating a terrorist attack."
Recent Similar Incidents
The incident follows a series of similar events in Germany. In July, police shot dead a man suspected of driving a van into a crowd near Berlin's Pride festival, killing a woman and injuring 29 people. Abdul Ballout, 21, rushed at police with a weapon before being shot, officials said. He was tracked down to an allotment garden in Spandau, West Berlin, after authorities issued a wanted notice warning people against approaching him.
In May, police opened fire on a car that rammed into a packed street in Leipzig's city centre. Two people were killed and several more injured, with the suspect accused of the attack having been released from a psychiatric hospital a day earlier.
