German cops ‘find AK-47’ at flat of man who killed himself, Munster

COPS have found an AK-47 at the home of a man who drove a van into a crowd of diners, killing at least three and injuring 30, before shooting himself dead in Germany.

Dramatic pictures show tables and chairs strewn across a square in Munster after the vehicle smashed into terrified tourists yesterday afternoon, leaving six of those injured fighting for their lives in hospital.

Police said the driver, named locally as Jens Handeln, 48, shot himself dead in front of horrified onlookers in the centre of the west Germany medieval university town which is 300 miles west of Berlin.

Officers have reportedly found a Kalashnikov at his home.

Handeln, reportedly a German graphic designer with a history of mental health problems who survived a previous suicide attempt, crashed the grey minibus into families and students sitting outside the popular Grosser Kiepenkerl bar.

German authorities do not believe there is a terrorist motive to the crash although cops searched the driver's apartment for explosives, reports Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

Handeln, a Munster resident who is a German national, reportedly has no terrorism background.

A local police spokesman Andreas Bode said cops checked reports that other potential suspects may have fled from the van following the horrific smash.

However, authorities later said they were not looking for other suspects.

A witness told German newspaper Bild: "I heard a loud, thumping blow, and suddenly people were yelling 'Oh my God'. Everyone ran to the front. A minute later, there were patrol cars."

Armed cops swooped on the scene just after 3pm local time and warned people to stay away from "inner city areas".

Police tweeted: "There are dead and injured. Please avoid the area. More information can be found here. We are on site."

Other shocking pictures showed panicked people calling for help in chaotic scenes, as others rush to the aid of the injured.

The wounded were treated on the cobblestones outside the cathedral before being taken to hospital.

Police spokesman Bode also said a suspicious object had been found in the vehicle which was being examined.

Local media reported that the large area around the scene was sealed off because of the object but a spokesman later declared: “The danger is over.”

Following the deadly incident, German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokeswoman said: "our thoughts are with the victims and their families."

The area of the crash, which is popular with tourists, is located in the old town of the city and is close to shopping centres.

The horrific crash came on the one year anniversary of the Stockholm terror attack in which a hijacked lorry killed five people and seriously injured a dozen more.

A demonstration organised by Kurdish activists protesting Turkey’s military operations in northern Syria was scheduled today in Munster.

The protest, which was expected to involve 1,500 people, was called off as a result of the minibus crash, reports German Focus magazine.