According to Baden-Württemberg’s interior minister Thomas Strobl, of the conservative CDU, the 40-year-old suspect behind the attack was from Rhineland Palatinate and was acting alone.
German media is reporting that the man, who was arrested and is being treated for his injuries in hospital under tight police protection does not have a migration background and is said to have a known history of mental illness.
Merz says Mannheim attack is a 'shock' and a 'stark reminder to us'
The presumed next chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, has described the attack in Mannheim as a “shock” in a statement released on X.
Translated to English, his statement reads:
The crime in Mannheim shocks us. My thoughts are with the victims and their families.
The incident – as well as the terrible crimes of the past few months – is a stark reminder to us: we must do everything we can to prevent such crimes.
I would like to thank all the emergency services who helped quickly.
Germany must become a safe country again. We will work with all our determination to achieve this.
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Death toll in Mannheim rises to two
The interior minister of the Baden-Württemberg state, Thomas Strobl, has just confirmed that two people died after a car was driven into a crowd in Mannheim.
He also said that “several others are also injured.”
Strobl also disclosed that the suspect in custody was a 40-year-old German citizen.
Vienna's main station evacuated over unspecified threat - authorities
The main train station in the Austrian capital Vienna has been evacuated after an unspecific threat, the city’s police have said.
In a social media post, the Vienna police said a “major police operation was under way” as a result of unspecific threat.
The Austrian train operator ÖBB said the lines leading to the station were currently suspended.
The Austrian newspaper Kurier reported it was due to a bomb threat, although this could not be independently verified.
40-year-old German citizen identified as Mannheim suspect
The interior minister of the state of Baden-Württemberg, Thomas Strobl, has told the German press agency dpa that the suspect was a 40-year-old German citizen from the neighbouring state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
No further details have been released at this stage.
Mannheim police have just confirmed that there was no evidence of more than one person involved in the incident earlier today, as it said there was no further danger for local residents.
We are yet to get a more comprehensive update from the police on what exactly happened.
Future German chancellor Merz says Trump-Zelenskyy clash was 'manufactured escalation'
Earlier today, the presumed next German chancellor Friedrich Merz offered an update on coalition talks with the SPD, saying that the two parties had “a common understanding of the enormous pressure” on budgets as the talks continued.
He also said that any discussions on an emergency fund for defence and infrastructure spend remained in early stages, but insisted there was “great urgency” to progress these talks as soon as possible.
Merz also offered his comments on the EU-US relations under Donald Trump, saying that recent signals from Washington highlighted the need to “act independently in Europe.”
In remarks likely to raise tensions with the US, he appeared to suggest Trump and vice-president JD Vance’s angry reaction to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s comments in the Oval Office was “a manufactured escalation.”
He also highlighted “a certain continuity” in interventions by senior US administration officials, including Vance’s speech at the Munich conference, which was highly critical of European allies.
He said he was not planning a trip to the US until the new government is confirmed.
Merz was also asked about first reports from Mannheim, but declined to comment saying he had only seen the headline and needed to learn more about what happened.
Updated
Police warn against misinformation, false reports from Mannheim
Mannheim police have asked people to not circulate videos from the scene online and warned against “numerous fake news” in circulation in connection with the event.
They also urged people to only follow the news from official sources.
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German interior minister Nancy Faeser is on the way to Mannheim, according to German media.
Key event
German police in the city of Mannheim have just issued a statement on the incident, confirming that “a car drove into a group of people” in the city centre, with one person dead, and several injured.
The statement said no further information could be offered on the number and severity of injuries.
It confirmed that a suspect was “identified and arrested,” but added that no further information was available for publication at this early stage of the investigation,
Updated
One dead after car driven into crowds in Mannheim - what we know
German police shut down the city centre of Mannheim in western Germany after a car was driven into the crowds, with local media reporting multiple people injured.
Mannheim police spokesperson confirmed at at least one person is dead, and several others are seriously injured.
One suspect was arrested at the scene, with officers looking into whether there were other suspects involved.
Police confirmed there was an active police operation with emergency services in attendance.
Local authorities earlier sent an emergency alert warning residents to stay away from the city centre, and confirmed a “major operation” on their social media channels.
The incident took place during the popular carnival season in Germany.
A local carnival market in Mannheim opened last Thursday, and a parade took place yesterday. A further traditional street carnival event was planned for Tuesday, Welt reported.
Local media outlets Die Rheinpfalz and Mannheimer Morgen are reporting heavy police presence on the ground, with a police helicopter circling above the scene.
German police remained on high alert for this year’s carnival parades after social media accounts connected to the Islamic State militant group called for attacks on the events in Cologne and Nuremberg.
While there has been no confirmation that the incident was a deliberate attack, these early reports will cause alarm after recent attacks involving driving cars into crowds in recent months.
In February, an Afghan man drove a car into a group of demonstrators in Munich, killing two people.
In December, six people where killed in Magdeburg after a Saudi-born man drove into the crowds at a Christmas market.
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Scene in Mannheim – in pictures
Updated
We are following a developing story in Mannheim, Germany, after reports that a car was driven into the crowds, with local police confirming that an active law enforcement operation is under way.
We will also bring you separate updates on Ukraine, whenever something important happens.
Reuters notes that security has been a key concern in Germany following a string of violent attacks in recent weeks, including deadly car rammings in Magdeburg in December and in Munich last month, as well as a stabbing in Mannheim in May 2024.
Police were on high alert for this year’s carnival parades after social media accounts connected to the Islamic State militant group called for attacks on the events in Cologne and Nuremberg.
Black car driven into crowds in Mannheim, reports say, and armed presence on scene
Early media reports from Mannheim in Germany say that a black car was driven into the crowds, with multiple people injured.
Regional newspaper Die Rheinpfalz reported that heavily armed police is present at the scene, and local hospital was put on high alert.
Local newspaper Mannheimer Morgen said that a security alert was sent on an emergency warning app, Katwarn, with authorities requesting residents to stay away from the city centre.
This is a developing story.
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Plans to rearm Europe to be unveiled on Tuesday, EU's von der Leyen says
Meanwhile in Brussels, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she was planning to inform member states about her plans to strenghten the European defence industry and the EU’s military capabilities on Tuesday.
Von der Leyen, who attended the London summit on Sunday, told reporters that Europe needs “a massive surge in defence, without any question.”
“We want lasting peace, but lasting peace can only be built on strength, and strength begins with strengthening ourselves,” she said.
Car driven into crowds in Germany - media reports
We’re looking at reports from the city of Mannheim in western Germany, with local media saying that a car was driven into the crowd.
Mannheim Police has confirmed that there is an active police operation in the city centre.
We will bring you more when we have it.
Canada's Trudeau meets Britain's King Charles III
Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has stayed a bit longer in the UK after yesterday’s summit on Ukraine, meeting King Charles III at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
Trudeau said last night that he would discuss with the monarch all “matters of importance to Canada, to Canadians.”
He pointedly added that “nothing seems more important to Canadians right now than standing up for our sovereignty and our independence as a nation,” after US president Donald Trump’s highly contentious comments about adding Canada as the 51st US state.
On Sunday, Charles also met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Their meeting came in a similar context, just days after Trump reportedly asked Zelenskyy to leave the White House as the pair clashes over peace deal prospects for Ukraine.
Only a few days earlier, Trump was offered a second state visit to the UK, with a personal invitation from Charles.
European defence stocks soar after London summit
Financial reporter
Share prices in European weapons companies have soared as investors anticipated significantly higher spending after the UK and France led an effort to form a peace deal for Ukraine.
Britain’s BAE Systems rose by 17% in early trading on Monday, Germany’s Rheinmetall gained 14%, France’s Thales increased 16% and Italy’s Leonardo was up 10%.
The moves continued a steep rally in defence stocks as investors expected big increases in defence budgets by European countries, stoked by fears that Washington would withdraw security guarantees.
Defence bosses in Europe have long argued that weapons spending should be higher, and the prospect of the US removing its support has made politicians pay attention.
Your 'interrogation' of Zelenskyy was 'insulting' to Ukrainians, former Polish president, Nobel Peace prize winner Wałęsa tells Trump
Former Polish president and 1983 Nobel Peace prize winner Lech Wałęsa signed a letter to US president Donald Trump expressing “horror and distaste” at his argument with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House last week.
The letter, signed by Wałęsa and over 30 former Polish political prisoners during the communist era, said that Trump and Vance’s demands that Zelenskyy showed gratefulness were “insulting” in the face of the Ukrainian nation’s heroic fight for freedom.
The signatories said that the “atmosphere in the Oval Office reminded us of that we remember well from interrogations” by Poland’s communist secret services and regime courts.
“The prosecutors and the judges, working on behalf of the omnipotent Communist party police, also told us that they held all the cards, and we held none,” they said.
“We are shocked that you treated Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the same, way,” they said.
They also reminded Trump of the US obligations under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, which provided security guarantees for Ukraine in exchange for return of Soviet-era nuclear weapons.
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Ukraine 'needs strong support from partners,' Zelenskyy says as he shows damage from Russian attacks
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has posted a video showing damages sustained from Russian attacks on Ukraine over the last few days, saying the country “needs strong support from our partners.”
Ukraine is fighting for the normal and safe life it deserves, for a just and reliable peace. We want this war to end.
But Russia does not, and continues its aerial terror: over the past week, more than 1,050 attack drones, nearly 1,300 aerial bombs, and more than 20 missiles have been launched at Ukraine to destroy cities and kill people.
Those who seek negotiations do not deliberately strike civilians with ballistic missiles.
To force Russia to stop its attacks, we need greater collective strength from the world. Strengthening our air defense, supporting our army, and ensuring effective security guarantees that will make the return of Russian aggression impossible—this is what we must focus on.
Justice must prevail. We believe in the power of unity, and we will certainly restore lasting peace.
Latvia celebrates its first Oscar ever with 'Flow'
Latvia has had a sleepless night after adventure Flow has won the Oscar for best animated feature. It is the first Latvian film to ever be nominated for an Oscar.
The story follows the journey of a cat who must find safety after its home is devastated by a flood. The film has made $20m worldwide and has become the most-viewed theatrical film in Latvian history. It also won the Golden Globe for best animated film in January.
AP reported that more than 320,000 people have watched the film in theatres across the country of nearly 1.9 million, an audience larger than any other film screened in the country in the last 30 years.
“This is a great and historic day for Latvia! And we will all need time to understand what happened, because something big and beautiful occurred!” Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs wrote on X following the win.
Prime minister Evika Siliņa, in her congratulations on X to the filmmakers, added, “the cat continues to capture the hearts of people worldwide!”
But AP noted Oscars host Conan O’Brien also gave a shoutout – and a challenge – to another Baltic state following the “Flow” victory: “Ball’s in your court, Estonia!”
“We’ve got you, @ConanOBrien. Estonia will do its best to catch up,” Kristen Michal, Estonia’s prime minister, replied on X.
Christian Stocker sworn in as new Austrian chancellor
Christian Stocker has been sworn as the new Austrian chancellor today, leading a three-party coalition government formed after five months of political stalemate since last year’s election won by the far-right Freedom party.
The centre-right People’s party (ÖVP), the Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the liberal Neos, whose first attempt at forming a coalition failed in January, will form the new administration.
“Good things come to those who wait,” Austrian president Alexander Van der Bellen was reported by the Austrian media as joking at the ceremony.
Reuters noted that Stocker, a lawyer with no previous ministerial experience, now heads Austria’s first three-party government since the late 1940s. He is the third successive ÖVP chancellor to enter office for the first time without having led the party into the election campaign.
The coalition deal was agreed late last week, and formally cleared the final hurdle on Sunday, after it got approved by the general assembly of the liberal Neos party.
Russia has criticised the London summit over the weekend, saying that plans to increase funding to Kyiv will not help bring about a peaceful resolution to the conflict, Reuters reported.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the funding pledges from European leaders – including a $2bn air-defence missiles deal from Britain – will cause the war to drag on.
“This clearly does not relate to a peace plan”, but will allow for “the continuation of hostilities”, Peskov told reporters.
“Any constructive initiatives (for peace) will be in demand now. It’s very important that someone forces Zelenskyy himself to change his position. He doesn’t want peace. Someone must make Zelenskyy want peace,” Peskov said, quoted by Reuters.
Ireland looks at changing legislation on overseas troops deployments
in Dublin
The Irish government has drafted legislation to remove a de facto ban on any more than 12 troops being deployed overseas as the country makes significant moves to bolster its bare and weak defence force.
It comes just days after minister for foreign affairs and defence Simon Harris has said he is convinced Ireland needs to buy a fleet of fighter jets.
Ireland’s inability to protect its airspace is currently the subject of a high court case seeking to determine whether the Irish government has an arrangement to allow Britain’s Royal Air Force enter Irish airspace to intercept in a hostile event such as a hijacking.
Draft legislation to remove the so-called “triple lock” system requiring the Dáil, the government and the UN to approve troop deployment of over 12 soldiers will go before the cabinet this week.
Deputy prime minister and minister for defence Simon Harris it was not appropriate that they continue with the current system.
“The idea of the UN security council having a veto on where we deploy Irish troops in relation to peacekeeping is something that needs to be modified.
“The UN security council hasn’t found itself in a position to authorise a peacekeeping mission since 2014,” he said.
The changes are a significant shift for Ireland whose defence strategy has been up to now dictated by political neutrality.
EU's Costa pushes back on Orbán's calls for unqualified ceasefire
Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán criticised the London summit, saying that European leaders “decided … they want to go on with the war instead of opting for peace,” calling this view “bad, dangerous and mistaken.”
The Hungarian independent media outlet direkt36 reported over the weekend that Orban sent a letter to the European Council president António Costa demanding immediate negotiations for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
He also suggested, alongside another pro-Russian leader in Slovak prime minister Robert Fico, that he would be prepared to veto the European Council’s conclusions later this week over plans for Ukraine.
But Costa didn’t sound particularly concerned when asked about it this morning during his visit to Moldova as he pushed back on suggestions of a ceasefire at all cost.
He said:
European Union is a project of peace, and the project of peace means that security and defence is necessarily a priority, because peace without defence is an illusion.
…
No one more than Ukrainians want peace, and of course, we are supporting them to achieve this lasting peace.
[But] peace is not just a ceasefire, which offers Russia more time to come again stronger. What we want is just and lasting peace.
Sweden investigates attempted sabotage on Gotland island
Swedish police are investigating a case of attempted sabotage on the island of Gotland over the weekend, which could have affected the island’s water supply, the Swedish daily Aftonbladet reported this morning.
The paper quoted a spokesperson for the Swedish security services confirming an incident, but not offering more details at this stage.
The strategically located island on the Baltic sea has been on high alert due to risk of Russian interference, with Sweden strengthening its presence there. Last week authorities were investigated a suspected cable damage just off the island.
I will update you if and when we hear more on this.
Morning, it’s Jakub Krupa here, taking over from Martin to guide you through the day.
If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com.
I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.
A minister in the UK government has said that military deployments in Ukraine by European forces would be possible without US backing if required to enforce a peace deal, but that “a durable, lasting peace” would rely on US involvement.
Speaking on Times Radio, PA Media quotes armed forces minister Luke Pollard saying:
What we can see is the direction of travel – Europe doing more, UK leadership in bringing our allies together, along with the French. To do that, we want to make sure that we are able to present a plan for a lasting and durable peace that does include the US involvement, because if the US isn’t involved, we will struggle to get that durable peace.
Military deployments are possible. But the point is, we want a durable and lasting peace. And this is where it’s really important to understand the distinction between a short pause, which might be able to be achieved, but that doesn’t sustain a durable peace, because there’s a genuine worry by President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainians that a short pause will simply allow the Russian forces to reconstitute, to rearm, to regroup and then to attack again.
Now that’s something that clearly would not be in anyone’s interest, not our security interests, certainly not the Ukrainians, who would suffer consequences for that, but we’ve been absolutely clear, and as has president Trump, that we need a durable, lasting peace. Well, our assessment of that is the only way that can be achieved is with US involvement.
Pollard said that dialogue continued with the Trump administration, telling listeners “Discussions with Donald Trump are continuing. The prime minister [Keir Starmer] has spoken to him twice since Friday and we’ll continue to have those discussions in the days ahead. Indeed, you should expect senior military officers, officials and ministers to be in the US.”
Stephen Wertheim, senior fellow in the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, writes for the Guardian today, asking whether Europe is misunderstanding Trump’s position on Ukraine.
Our First Edition newsletter today features my colleague Archie Bland summing up the developments over the weekend since the contentious meeting in the White House between Donald Trump, JD Vance and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Here is an excerpt:
If the White House has sought to villainise Zelenskyy’s behaviour in the Oval Office meeting and continue to present him as an unpopular leader whose people want him out of office, reporting from Ukraine tells a very different story. In this piece from the city of Odesa, Luke Harding hears from ordinary Ukrainians dismayed by the White House’s warmth towards the Kremlin, and who insist their president remains the right man for the job.
“This is our affair. Zelenskyy is our president. He got 73% of the vote. We should decide,” says Olena Palash, who works at a children’s clinic destroyed by Russian attacks. She also says: “Everything is back to front. After three years of war, I’m astounded. Trump doesn’t understand who the aggressor is.”
Trump’s treatment of Ukraine in recent days goes beyond even what Russia might have expected, and the Kremlin appears eager to make the most of its diplomatic advantage. Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, praised Trump for “behaving correctly” in an interview reported by state news agency Tass on Sunday. “Donald Trump is a pragmatist,” he said. “His slogan is common sense. It means, as everyone can see, a shift to a different way of doing things.”
Perhaps most tellingly, he sought to draw a clear line between Europe and the US under Trump’s leadership. The Trump team “say directly that they want to end all wars, they want peace”, Lavrov said. “And who demands a ‘continuation of the banquet’ in the form of a war? Europe.”
You can read it in full here: Monday briefing – UK and Europe pick up the pieces after White House car crash
Ukraine’s military has said that it shot down 46 of 83 drones launched by Russia overnight.
French foreign minister: month's truce would show if Putin was acting in good faith
Jean-Noël Barrot has suggested that a month’s truce in Ukraine would show if Russian president Vladimir Putin was acting in good faith.
Speaking on RTL Radio, France’s foreign minister picked up an earlier suggestion by French president Emmanuel Macron that there could be a month’s truce covering air, sea and attacks on critical infrastructure.
Reuters reports Barrot said a pause would show if Putin was acting in good faith and if he would be willing to start negotiations in earnest on a longer-term peace deal.
Barrot added that he thought that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump could be willing to re-engage in direct talks after last week’s debacle in the Oval Office.
Updated
Welcome summary
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of news from across Europe in the wake of a crucial defence summit in London at which UK prime minister Keir Starmer warned Europe is “at a crossroads in history” and must act to support Ukraine to secure a lasting peace.
After the summit, US President Donald Trump warned that the US should worry less about Vladimir Putin and spend more time worrying about drug lords and murderers among other things “So that we don’t end up like Europe!”
After defending the Russian president during a press conference in which he publicly berated Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, Trump dismissed concerns about his growing closeness with Moscow in a post on Truth Social late on Sunday.
Hours earlier, European leaders rallied around Zelenskyy at the summit in the UK, where they vowed to support Ukraine after his disastrous meeting with Trump last week. Starmer said the UK, France and others would work with Ukraine on a plan to stop the fighting, and discuss that plan with the US before taking it forward together.
The Ukrainian leader said there had been no communications at his level with the White House since his meeting with Trump but said a deal for the US to jointly exploit minerals in his country – which was supposed to have been inked on Friday – was ready to be signed.
Last week’s row between Ukraine and the US highlighted the growing chasm between Europe and the US and the president’s latest comments will do nothing to reassure European leaders that the transatlantic alliance is still solid.
In other developments:
Zelenskyy, sought to move the conversation forward from his difficult meeting with Trump on Friday saying it was “best left to history”, as he signalled Ukraine’s readiness to sign the minerals deal and hoped for “constructive” talks with the US administration on the next steps
Speaking to reporters after frantic 72 hours, Zelenskyy drew his red lines by saying he would not accept giving any occupied territory away to Russia and insisted on remembering that Russia was the aggressor in the conflict
The Ukrainian leader said the country needed strong security guarantees or otherwise would face the risk of Russia seeking to restart hostilities with false claims about Ukrainian violations, as it did in the past
Zelenskyy said he hoped that a UK-French initiative for peace would bear fruit “in coming weeks”, with a number of other countries declaring their interest in being involved in providing security guarantees for Ukraine
His comments come after French president, Emmanuel Macron, floated the idea of a one-month limited ceasefire that would apply to air, sea and attacks on critical energy infrastructure. Zelenskyy didn’t offer any suggestion if he would accept the proposal, but said he was “aware of everything”
British prime minister, Keir Starmer, earlier announced details of a new £1.6bn UK export finance contract for Ukraine allowing it “to buy more than 5,000 air defence missiles” to help the country’s defence against Russia, as he concluded a London summit with European, Turkish and Canadian leaders
Starmer also confirmed plans to form “a coalition of the willing” to enforce a potential peace deal in Ukraine, which he said the UK was prepared “to back with boots on the ground and planes in the air”
Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, said a number of Nato countries had signalled their plans to increase defence spending, as he urged media to “stop gossiping about what the US might or might not do”, and insisted the country remained committed to Nato
Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, said he hoped the EU’s plans to be unveiled next week would “send a very clear impulse showing Putin and Russia that no one here, in the west, intends to surrender to his blackmail and aggression”
Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, offered a passionate defence of Zelenskyy, saying that in his comments in the Oval Office on Friday “he pointed out in so many words that Vladimir Putin is a liar and a criminal and cannot be trusted to keep his word in any way”
After the summit, Zelenskyy also met with King Charles at his estate in Sandringham, where the pair had tea together for nearly an hour. The visit has been seen in Westminster as an attempt to even out treatment of the Ukrainian and US presidents after Starmer invited Donald Trump for a state visit last week
It is Martin Belam with you from London. You can contact me at martin.belam@theguardian.com.
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