Mannheim Mayor praises immigrant taxi driver who stopped ramming attack

Mannheim Mayor Christian Specht, a member of the victorious CDU center-right party, celebrated the actions of an immigrant taxi driver, whose actions helped stop the ramming attack conducted by another immigrant and which killed at least two people, according to DW.

Sprecht said of the driver that "he behaved so courageously, drove after the perpetrator and ultimately blocked his vehicle to prevent further damage" and that "he says he acted so courageously as a Muslim and as a citizen."

According to DW, "The suspect left the vehicle, then fled on foot, but was arrested shortly after, the statement said. The man attempted to take his own life by shooting himself in the mouth.

"He was taken to a hospital for treatment, and by Tuesday, had been moved to police custody. Officials said the suspect also suffered psychological problems that investigators were looking more closely into.

"The suspect was being investigated for two counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder, each in conjunction with grievous bodily harm, and 11 counts of bodily harm, according to authorities."

The incident comes just after an election that saw the rise not only of the center-right CDU but also the far-right AfD, which has run hard against Germany's permissive immigration policy but whose record of rhetoric and positions on matters such as antisemitism make them a pariah for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, which is talking to other far right parties.