On 24 February 2020, a man rammed his car against civilians at a carnival parade in

Volkmarsen Volkmarsen is a small town in Waldeck-Frankenberg district in northern Hesse, Germany. It is home to 6840 residents. Geography Location Volkmarsen lies on the northern edge of the ''Waldecker Tafel'' (Waldecker Shield (geology)) where it flatten ...

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Da ...

, Germany, injuring 154 people.Nach Amokfahrt - Kriminologe: Taten wie Volkmarsen und Hanau waren nicht vorhersehbar
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Attack

At about 2:45pm, a silver Mercedes car was driven first through plastic barricades set up for the parade and then into a crowd at a

carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival ...

parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of s ...

celebrating

Rosenmontag ( en, Rose Monday) is the highlight of the German (carnival), and takes place on the Shrove Monday before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Mardi Gras, though celebrated on Fat Tuesday, is a similar event. is celebrated in German-speaking ...

, Hesse,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. Eye witnesses informed

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

that the driver sped up to attack the civilians, and seemed to target children. 154 people were injured, with thirty-five seriously injured. Twenty of those injured were children, the youngest of whom was a two-year-old. A 29 year old German citizen, named by Police as "Maurice P", who moved to the local area within the previous 3 years, was detained and arrested on suspicion of attempted homicide, but a motive for the attack has yet to be determined as the suspect was said to not be in a fit state of mind to be questioned. The New York Times reported that once the car initially crashed, bystanders rushed to the car. A woman tried to take the keys from the man, but was choked and had her hair pulled; the suspect tried to restart the car, but three men assaulted the suspect to disable him. As of 24 February, the suspect was receiving medical treatment for injuries sustained in the incident but would later be brought before an investigating judge. Hesse authorities cancelled all carnival parades as a precaution that day, and reconvened them on the following morning with enhanced security.

Investigation

The attacker was identified as Maurice Pahler, a 29-year-old German man, known to police for crimes including assault. It was stated by the public prosecutors office that the assault was premeditated. It was initially reported that the attacker was under the effect of

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

and

drugs A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalat ...

, but this was later corrected as false. A person who filmed the attack was arrested; it is not clear if he was involved in the attack.Volkmarsen attack: Almost 60 hurt after car drives into carnival crowd
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Responses

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

Angela Merkel Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German former politician and scientist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. A member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), she previously served as Leader of the Op ...

said her thoughts were with the injured and their relatives and thanked the police and medical services.

References

{{Vehicle-ramming attacks 2020 road incidents in Europe 2020 crimes in Germany 21st century in Hesse Attacks in 2020 Crime in Hesse February 2020 crimes in Europe February 2020 events in Germany Vehicular rampage in Germany Waldeck-Frankenberg