Suspected terrorism: Car races onto sidewalk and causes crash

The right side of the white Skoda was dented in the impact, the driver had to be freed by the fire department and is still in hospital with serious injuries: One day after the driver of a BMW caused a serious collision in Darmstadt, Hesse, possible causes are now likely to give rise to discussion. The crash may have had an Islamist background.

After his arrest, the 24-year-old driver of the BMW is said to have told police officers that he had acted on Allah's orders. WELT learned this from security authorities. There are also indications that the BMW driver may have a mental illness. He is said to be a German with Afghan roots.

The investigation is being conducted within the Hessian State Criminal Police Office (LKA) in the State Security Department, also in the department for politically motivated crimes. According to information from WELT, the Federal Criminal Police Office has also been informed. A spokesperson for the authority confirmed that the BKA was aware of the incident.

The State Criminal Police Office reported the incident on Monday evening, a good six hours after the collision. Witnesses reported to the police via emergency call that a BMW was traveling at high speed on Frankfurter Landstrasse in the Arheilgen district, ignoring red lights and driving onto the sidewalk in places. Passengers were able to get to safety.

The BMW then drove into the white Skoda at the intersection with Fuchsstrasse at 11:57 a.m. The BMW then came to a stop in front of an empty shop. The driver was arrested. The LKA informed in the press release published on Monday at 6:32 p.m. that “intentional action cannot currently be ruled out.” However, the LKA withheld the information known to this editorial office about the Islamist statement made by the driver involved in the crash.

The driver of the crash was initially taken to hospital due to his injuries, but was released later. The Darmstadt public prosecutor's office has now obtained an arrest warrant. A spokesperson for the authority confirmed upon request that the driver is in custody. A blood sample was also taken to determine whether he was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.