Two people killed and two in critical condition in suspected deliberate vehicle ramming in Leipzing

Two people were killed in the eastern German city of Leipzig after a driver ploughed into a busy shopping area in the city centre on Monday afternoon.

Authorities say an additional three people sustained critical injuries in the incident, believed to be a deliberate ramming.

Police are still investigating the attack, carried out by a 33-year-old German citizen, born in the Leipzig area, who remains in police custody for questioning. He was detained inside the vehicle, and is being investigated on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.

An unspecified number of people sustained less serious wounds in the incident, described by officials as a “terrible tragedy”.

The interior minister of Saxony state, Armin Schuster, said investigators believe the man acted alone. He said that rage and “psychological instability” are often factors in such cases, but added that he would not speculate on whether that was the case here.

Police chief René Demmler said the man drove from the Augustusplatz, a major square, along the Grimmaische Strasse into the city's central pedestrianised shopping area. He stressed that there was no longer any danger.

Saxony state Governor Michael Kretschmer expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.

“An act like this leaves us speechless, and it makes us determined," he noted, according to German news agency dpa. “We will do everything in our power to solve this case quickly and completely.”

Photos from the scene showed a car with a battered front and a shattered windshield after the incident, which happened at about 5 pm local time.

Leipzig is located southwest of Berlin and has more than 630,000 residents, making it one of the biggest cities in the east of the country.