In this Monday, Oct. 7, 2019 photo s truck stands between damaged cars in Limburg, Germany. The truck drove into a line of eight cars in Limburg late Monday afternoon, pushing the vehicles into each other. Police said seven people were taken to hospitals and the driver also was slightly injured. He was detained. (Thorsten Wagner/dpa via AP)
The Associated Press
BERLIN (AP) - A Syrian man has been arrested after apparently commandeering a truck and driving into a line of cars in a western German town, leaving eight people slightly injured, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Frankfurt prosecutors said they can't yet give any information on a possible motive for the incident late Monday afternoon in nearby Limburg, and are investigating all possibilities.
The 32-year-old, who lived in the Offenbach area near Frankfurt, is believed to have pulled a truck driver out of his cab, prosecutors said in a statement. He didn't use a weapon.
The man then drove a few meters further, plowing into seven cars and a van at a junction. The cars were pushed into each other and eight people injured - as was the Syrian man. He was arrested by police officers who happened to be near the scene.
Prosecutors said that two apartments in the region were searched on Monday, and cellphones and USB sticks seized.
Public broadcaster ZDF, citing unidentified security authorities, reported earlier Tuesday that officials believe there was an extremist background to the incident. News agency dpa, also citing unidentified security sources, reported that there was no indication so far of an extremist motive, but it also can't be ruled out.
Asked what evidence there is of it being a possible extremist attack as he arrived at a meeting with European Union colleagues in Luxembourg, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said that the investigation is underway and "I can't tell you at this point how this act is to be assessed."
The federal prosecutor's office, which handles terrorism cases in Germany, said it doesn't at this point consider the case to be its responsibility.
In this Monday, Oct. 7, 2019 photo s truck stands between damaged cars in Limburg, Germany. The truck drove into a line of eight cars in Limburg late Monday afternoon, pushing the vehicles into each other. Police said seven people were taken to hospitals and the driver also was slightly injured. He was detained. (Thorsten Wagner/dpa via AP)
The Associated Press
In this Monday, Oct. 7, 2019 photo s truck stands between damaged cars in Limburg, Germany. The truck drove into a line of eight cars in Limburg late Monday afternoon, pushing the vehicles into each other. Police said seven people were taken to hospitals and the driver also was slightly injured. He was detained. (Thorsten Wagner/dpa via AP)
The Associated Press
In this Monday, Oct. 7, 2019 photo s truck stands between damaged cars in Limburg, Germany. The truck drove into a line of eight cars in Limburg late Monday afternoon, pushing the vehicles into each other. Police said seven people were taken to hospitals and the driver also was slightly injured. He was detained. (Sascha Ditscher/dpa via AP)
The Associated Press
In this Monday, Oct. 7, 2019 photo s truck stands between damaged cars in Limburg, Germany. The truck drove into a line of eight cars in Limburg late Monday afternoon, pushing the vehicles into each other. Police said seven people were taken to hospitals and the driver also was slightly injured. He was detained. (Sascha Ditscher/dpa via AP)
The Associated Press