A man suspected of deliberately driving a car into a group of people in Neustadt am Rübenberge is now in pretrial detention.

On Wednesday evening, authorities issued an arrest warrant against a man suspected of intentionally driving a car into a group of people in Neustadt am Rübenberge, located in the Hanover region. The suspect is now in pretrial detention, according to a joint statement from the Hanover Police Directorate and the Hildesheim Public Prosecutor’s Office. The incident, which occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, left at least five people injured.

The suspect was apprehended without resistance on Tuesday in Neustadt am Rübenberge and subsequently taken to a police station. He is accused of attempted manslaughter in five cases. The Hanover Police Directorate’s Central Criminal Service has taken over the investigation. Authorities clarified that initial reports of three arrests on Tuesday were incorrect; these were general identity checks conducted as part of the search operation and were unrelated to the suspect’s detention.

Police officers who were nearby at the time of the incident intervened by shooting at the vehicle to stop it. The car involved in the attack has since been towed, and the affected street was reopened. In response to the incident, law enforcement increased their presence at the scene and monitored vehicles passing through the area. Additionally, police have heightened patrols near the residences of two extended families reportedly connected to the victims and the suspect. Many local residents expressed unease about the situation, according to interviews conducted by NDR Niedersachsen.