BOTTROP, GERMANY — The attack occurred in the early hours on New Year's Day and appears to have been directed at immigrants.
According to DW, a 50-year-old man seen driving a silver Mercedes first targeted a male pedestrian in the Western city of Bottrop. The man managed to avoid being hit.
The man then drove into the inner city where he plowed into a group of pedestrians on the side of the street, injuring four.
He then attempted to run over a group of people waiting at a bus stop in the nearby city of Essen before being detained by police.
Police said those hit by the car included Syrians and Afghans, some of which were seriously injured.
According to local authorities, the man made racist remarks after his arrest. The man is also suspected to suffer from a mental illness.
According to a statement by the interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia state, Herbert Reul, "there was a clear intention by this man to kill foreigners.
