A DRIVER rammed into people in a busy shopping area in central Leipzig, Germany, leaving two people dead, authorities said today.

An additional three people were seriously injured in what officials believe was a deliberate rampage on Monday, mayor Burkhard Jung said, describing it as “a terrible tragedy.”

The driver, a 33-year-old German-born resident of the Leipzig area, is under investigation on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, but his motives are not yet clear.

The deceased were a 63-year-old woman and a 77-year-old man, both German citizens.

Saxony Interior Minister Armin Schuster said investigators believe the man acted alone, adding that rage and “psychological instability” are often factors in such cases.

Police chief Rene Demmler said the man drove from Augustusplatz into the city’s central pedestrianised shopping area and stressed there was no longer any danger.

The driver was arrested in the vehicle and did not resist arrest, Mr Demmler said.

Saxony state governor Michael Kretschmer expressed his condolences, saying: “An act like this leaves us speechless — and it makes us determined.

“We will do everything in our power to solve this case quickly and completely.”

Leipzig is located south-west of Berlin and has more than 630,000 inhabitants, making it one of the biggest cities in eastern Germany.

Germany has seen a series of similar attacks in recent years.

In December 2024, six people were killed and more than 300 were wounded in an attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg.

In February last year, at least 30 people were injured when a car was driven into a crowd in Munich.