Three dead after minibus ploughs into diners outside restaurant leaving dozens injured before 'driver with psychological problems' shoots himself in front of shocked onlookers in German city

  • Driver ploughed through crowds outside a traditional restaurant near Münster's Kiepenkerl statue and pub
  • He shot himself dead inside the vehicle, leaving three others dead and 20 injured in today's attack 
  • German police say the driver was a middle-aged man with psychological problems and no links to terrorism  
  • Police in the area say they are not looking for any more suspects and believe the danger is over 
  • Deadly incident comes on the anniversary of the Stockholm attack when five people were killed and 14 injured

A man has shot himself dead after ploughing a minibus into a crowd of people in the German city of Münster, killing three people and leaving 20 injured. 

Six people are in critical condition and dozens more are injured after the vehicle was driven at high speed towards families outside a traditional German restaurant in the university town, 300 miles west of Berlin. 

Terrified diners watched as the driver shot and killed himself inside the vehicle. He is believed to be a middle-aged German man with 'psychological problems' and no links to any terrorist organisations.

Police are currently searching the driver's apartment for explosives and also investigating reports that two other people were seen fleeing the van after the crash. 

Dramatic pictures show an area of Münster's old town strewn with broken tables and chairs and onlookers running for their lives.

Separate footage from the city shows armed police shouting at a suspect to 'get down', but it is not yet known who he is.

Scroll down for video 

A van (pictured bottom right) ploughed into crowds of people in Münster, west Germany killing three people and injuring dozens more today  

A van (pictured bottom right) ploughed into crowds of people in Münster, west Germany killing three people and injuring dozens more today  

German police are pictured in the city of Münster this afternoon after a van drove into a crowd of people killing three and injuring dozens more 

German police are pictured in the city of Münster this afternoon after a van drove into a crowd of people killing three and injuring dozens more 

Armed police were seen wearing balaclavas in the immediate aftermath of the attack in Münster, west Germany today 

Armed police were seen wearing balaclavas in the immediate aftermath of the attack in Münster, west Germany today 

The perpetrator behind today's attack (police pictured surveying the scene) is believed to be a middle-aged German man with 'psychological problems' and no links to any terrorist organisations

The perpetrator behind today's attack (police pictured surveying the scene) is believed to be a middle-aged German man with 'psychological problems' and no links to any terrorist organisations

Officers (pictured) are currently searching the driver's apartment for explosives and also investigating reports that two other people were seen fleeing the van after the crash

Officers (pictured) are currently searching the driver's apartment for explosives and also investigating reports that two other people were seen fleeing the van after the crash

Armed officers swooped the scene outside Münster's famous Kiepenkerl bar and statue today after the deadly attack 

Armed officers swooped the scene outside Münster's famous Kiepenkerl bar and statue today after the deadly attack 

The van crashed into people sitting in front of Münster's famous Kiepenkerl bar and statue on one of the first spring days in the city.

German police are sweeping the vehicle for explosives, with a 'suspicious object' understood to have been found inside.  

Police said they are checking witness reports that other perpetrators may have fled from the van.

There are reports that there may have been two others seen fleeing from the vehicle.  

Meanwhile Münster's Lord Mayor Markus Lewe said his sympathies were with victims and their families.

He said: 'The whole of Münster mourns this terrible event, our sympathy goes out to the relatives of those who were killed, and we wish the injured people fast and speedy recovery.'

The crash comes on the anniversary of the Stockholm attack, when five people were killed and 14 injured after a stolen beer truck drove into a crowd in the Swedish capital last year. 

Restaurant chairs and tables are seen strewn across the area outside Münster's famous Kiepenkerl statue and pub

Restaurant chairs and tables are seen strewn across the area outside Münster's famous Kiepenkerl statue and pub

Several police vans could be seen in the centre of the picturesque medieval city of 300,000 people as the carnage unfolded

Several police vans could be seen in the centre of the picturesque medieval city of 300,000 people as the carnage unfolded

Police cordons are in place as a wide-scale investigation descends on the city. Officers say they are not looking for any more suspects and the 'danger appears to be over' 

Police cordons are in place as a wide-scale investigation descends on the city. Officers say they are not looking for any more suspects and the 'danger appears to be over' 

A spokeswoman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel says 'our thoughts are with the victims and their families' who were killed and injured when a vehicle crashed into a crowd in the western German city of Münster.

Spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer on Twitter called the crash Saturday 'terrible news.'  

'I am shocked by the news from Münster,' said Andrea Nahles, parliamentary leader of the Social Democrats, junior partner in Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling coalition.

Six people are in critical condition and dozens more are injured after the vehicle was driven at high speed towards families outside a traditional German restaurant in the university town, 300 miles west of Berlin

Six people are in critical condition and dozens more are injured after the vehicle was driven at high speed towards families outside a traditional German restaurant in the university town, 300 miles west of Berlin

Emergency vehicles were scrambled to the scene after reports of the attack spread through the city in western Germany 

Emergency vehicles were scrambled to the scene after reports of the attack spread through the city in western Germany 

It is not yet known if the incident is terror related, but it comes after a wave of deadly vehicle attacks across western Europe

It is not yet known if the incident is terror related, but it comes after a wave of deadly vehicle attacks across western Europe

Rescuers are pictured waiting for more information on the deadly incident in Münster's old town this afternoon 

Rescuers are pictured waiting for more information on the deadly incident in Münster's old town this afternoon 

Firefighters pictured walking in downtown Münster, Germany today after several people were killed by a van 

Firefighters pictured walking in downtown Münster, Germany today after several people were killed by a van 

Police (pictured) are investigating reports that two other people were seen fleeing the van after the crash

Police (pictured) are investigating reports that two other people were seen fleeing the van after the crash

Fire engines are pictured ready to back up police after a van crashed into crowds outside restaurants in Münster

Fire engines are pictured ready to back up police after a van crashed into crowds outside restaurants in Münster

It is not yet known if the incident is terror related, but it comes after a wave of deadly vehicle attacks across western Europe

It is not yet known if the incident is terror related, but it comes after a wave of deadly vehicle attacks across western Europe

Münster is approximately 300 miles west of Berlin in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany

Münster is approximately 300 miles west of Berlin in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany

Vehicle attacks to hit Europe in the last four years  

German police have not yet revealed a motive for the attack in Münster, but it comes after a wave of deadly vehicle attacks in western Europe.

Here MailOnline looks back at similar incidents across the continent over the last four years: 

April 7, 2018 - A man drives a van into a group of people sitting outside a restaurant in the old city centre of Münster in Germany, killing several of them before taking his own life, police say, a year to the day after the Stockholm truck attack.

March 23, 2018 - A gunman kills three people in southwestern France after holding up a car, firing on police and taking hostages in a supermarket, screaming 'Allahu Akbar'. Security forces storm the building and kill him.

Aug 17, 2017 - A van ploughs into crowds in the heart of Barcelona, killing at least 13 people, a regional official says, in what police said they were treating as a terrorist attack.

June 3, 2017 - Three attackers ram a van into pedestrians on London Bridge then stab revellers in nearby bars, killing eight people and injuring at least 48. Islamic State says its militants are responsible.

May 22, 2017 - A suicide bomber kills 22 children and adults and wounds 59 at a packed concert hall in the English city of Manchester, as crowds began leaving a concert by U.S. singer Ariana Grande.

April 7, 2017 - A truck drives into a crowd on a shopping street and crashes into a department store in central Stockholm, killing five people and wounding 15 in what police call a terrorist attack.

March 22, 2017 - An attacker stabs a policeman close to the British parliament in London after a car ploughs into pedestrians on nearby Westminster Bridge. Six people die, including the assailant and the policeman he stabbed, and at least 20 are injured in what police call a 'marauding terrorist attack'.

Dec 19, 2016 - A truck ploughs into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring 48. German Chancellor Angela Merkel says authorities are assuming it was a terrorist attack.

July 26, 2016 - Two attackers kill a priest with a blade and seriously wound another hostage in a church in northern France before being shot dead by French police. French President Francois Hollande says the two hostage-takers had pledged allegiance to Islamic State.

July 24, 2016 - A Syrian man wounds 15 people when he blows himself up outside a music festival in Ansbach in southern Germany. Islamic State claims responsibility.

July 22, 2016 - An 18-year-old German-Iranian gunman apparently acting alone kills at least nine people in Munich. The teenager had no Islamist ties but was obsessed with mass killings. The attack was carried out on the fifth anniversary of twin attacks by Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik that killed 77 people.

July 18, 2016 - A 17-year-old Afghan refugee wielding an axe and a knife attacks passengers on a train in southern Germany, severely wounding four, before being shot dead by police. Islamic State claims responsibility.

July 14, 2016 - A gunman drives a heavy truck into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in the French city of Nice, killing 86 people and injuring scores more in an attack claimed by Islamic State. The attacker is identified as a Tunisian-born Frenchman.

June 14, 2016 - A Frenchman of Moroccan origin stabs a police commander to death outside his home in a Paris suburb and kills his partner, who also worked for the police. The attacker told police negotiators during a siege that he was answering an appeal by Islamic State.

March 22, 2016 - Three Islamic State suicide bombers, all Belgian nationals, blow themselves up at Brussels airport and in a metro train in the Belgian capital, killing 32 people. Police find links with attacks in Paris the previous November.

Nov 13, 2015 - Paris is rocked by multiple, near simultaneous gun-and-bomb attacks on entertainment sites around the city, in which 130 people die and 368 are wounded. Islamic State claims responsibility. Two of the 10 known perpetrators were Belgian citizens and three others were French.

Jan 7-9, 2015 - Two Islamist militants break into an editorial meeting of satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo on Jan. 7 and rake it with bullets, killing 17. Another militant kills a policewoman the next day and takes hostages at a supermarket on Jan. 9, killing four before police shoot him dead.

May 24, 2014 - Four people are killed in a shooting at the Jewish Museum in central Brussels. The attacker was French national Mehdi Nemmouche, 29, who was subsequently arrested in Marseille, France. Extradited, he is awaiting trial in Belgium.

'My thoughts are with the victims and their relatives,' she added. 'I hope that our authorities can quickly clarify the background to this incident and wish the local forces much strength for their work.'  

The DPA news agency said a car had hit bystanders in the western city. 

Police confirmed there had been casualties but did not immediately say what happened.

'There are deaths and injured. Please avoid the area, we are on scene,' the regional police service said on Twitter.

German police warned there are deaths and injuries

German police warned there are deaths and injuries

The German news agency DPA reports that a large-scale police operation is underway and that much of the area is cordoned off to the public. 

Restaurant chairs and tables are pictured strewn across the square in the old town area of the city, as horrified witnesses run for cover. 

Police have urged people to avoid 'speculation' about the incident as it is not yet known if it is terror related. 

Where is the city of Münster?

It is understood a vehicle ploughed into a crowded pub near the Kiepenkerl statue in the old town

It is understood a vehicle ploughed into a crowded pub near the Kiepenkerl statue in the old town

Münster is a city of around 300,000 in North Rhine-Westphalia, to the west of Germany near the border with the Netherlands. 

Around a fifth of the population are students, and there are four universities within the city.  It is also known as the bicycle capital of Germany.

The city is famous for its Friedenssaal (peace hall) in the city hall, where some treaties within the Peace of Westphalia were signed back in October 1648. 

These treaties ended both the Thirty Years War, the war between the Habsburgs and their Catholic allies and various Protestant powers including Sweden, and the Eighty Years War between Spain and the Dutch Republic.

Police vans flooded downtown Münster as they rushed to deal with the situation and emergency services warned people to stay away from the area

Police vans flooded downtown Münster as they rushed to deal with the situation and emergency services warned people to stay away from the area

Ambulances also rushed to the scene following reports that at least 30 people were injured in the incident

Ambulances also rushed to the scene following reports that at least 30 people were injured in the incident

Münster is in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany, 300 miles west of Berlin 

Münster is in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany, 300 miles west of Berlin 

Advertisement

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

What's This?

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.