A man was shot dead by German police after he stole an excavator and used it to level a quiet town.
The man, who has not yet been identified, hijacked the excavator of a construction company in the small southern German town of Grünsfeld at around 1:35 p.m. local time before driving it to Tauberbischofsheim, about eight kilometers from distance.
Video footage of the chaos showed the man crashing the yellow excavator into a JET gas station as police appeared to shoot him.
He was hit by gunfire at a car dealership in Tauberbischofsheim and was resuscitated, but later died from his wounds.
He reportedly damaged several police vehicles and seriously injured an officer.
Local police later said that although she was trapped during the attack, she has since been able to leave the hospital.
On Day X, local police said there was no longer any danger to the public following the “alleged disturbance.”
Germany has been on high alert for weeks following the terrorist attack in the city of Magdeburg, in which Saudi doctor Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, 50, crashed his rented SUV into a crowd at the Christmas market.
Video footage of the chaos showed the man crashing the yellow excavator into a JET gas station as police appeared to shoot him.
He reportedly damaged several police vehicles and seriously injured an officer.
Nine-year-old André Gleißner was killed and at least 235 people were injured in the horrific attack, dozens of whom are still in serious condition, according to authorities.
Police are still puzzled over why Abdulmohsen attacked the market, with prosecutor indicating that the doctor’s complaint about how Germany was treating dissident Saudi asylum seekers could be a possible motive.
Abdulmohsen, who was detained next to the dented vehicle, has expressed anti-Islamic views, anger at German immigration officials, including former Chancellor Angela Merkel, and support for far-right narratives about the “Islamization” of Europe.
Abdulmohsen reportedly bequeathed his entire fortune to the German Red Cross, but did not include any political messages in the document.
He was taken into custody on five counts of murder and several counts of attempted murder, as well as causing serious bodily injury, prosecutors said Saturday night, but not so far on terrorism-related charges.
The 50-year-old is currently being held in a high-security prison near Magdeburg, where he is constantly monitored by cameras and must wear paper clothes “so as not to hang himself in his cell,” according to the Bild tabloid.