Man drives car into crowds in western Germany

A man drove his car into a group of pedestrians in western Germany town of Bottrop in the early hours of Tuesday, injuring five people, according to local police.

The incident happened shortly after midnight as the 50-year-old driver intentionally slammed his silver Mercedes in Bottrop center and afterwards fled to the nearby city of Essen, where he was caught by the police.

The injured include a 46-year-old woman and a child. Some of the injured are in critical conditions.

The suspect is a German and his targets were believed to be foreign groups, German newspaper Welt reported, quoting the local authorities.

The driver also made some xenophobic comments during his arrest, and local police said there were indications he had mental illness.