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Heidelberg attack: One dead after vehicle driven into pedestrians in Germany

Police later shot and injured the attacker, who is of German origin 

Will Worley
Saturday 25 February 2017 13:23 EST
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Police stand in front of the car in Heidelberg
Police stand in front of the car in Heidelberg

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One person has died and two more have been hurt after a car was driven into pedestrians in the German city of Heidelberg.

The driver escaped the scene on foot and was later shot after being tracked down by officers, who were tipped off by the public.

The 35-year-old man, who police have stressed was not a migrant, was allegedly carrying a knife.

Following the short stand-off, he was taken to hospital, where he is in serious condition and has undergone an operation.

A 73-year-old German man died of his injuries in the evening at a local hospital.

The injured people, a 32-year-old Austrian man and a 29-year-old woman from Bosnia, were only lightly hurt.

Footage of the arrest was posted to social media and showed a number of police officers with their sidearms drawn. One shot can be heard.

Later, photos posted to Twitter showed forensic officers at the car, which came to a stop outside a bakery.

There was no word on the man's possible motives or his origin.

Police said a terrorist background is not suspected and the man appears to have acted alone.

Later in the evening, the Polizei Mannheim Twitter account confirmed there was no search for a second suspect.

The car is believed to be a rental.

In December 2016, 12 people were killed and 56 injured after a Tunisian man, Anis Amri, drove a truck into a Christmas market.

The attack raised questions about Angela Merkel's open door policy to refugees, which has caused huge contention in Germany.

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