German interior minister says Muenster attack "without terror scene"

MUENSTER, Germany, April 8 (Xinhua)-- There was "strong evidence" that it was a single perpetrator without "reference to terror scene", German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said to press on Sunday, after mourning the victims in the van attack in the old town of western German city of Muenster, together with Armin Laschet, governor of State North Rhine-Westphalina.

Around 3.30 p.m.local time on Saturday, a silver-gray van hit a group of people who were sitting in an outdoor terrace of local restaurant "Kleiner Kiepenkerl"in the old town of Muenster, killing a 51-year-old woman and a 65-year-old man, as well as leaving over 20 people injured, including some serious injured, according to the statement released by local police on Sunday morning.

Immediately following the attack, the driver as perpetrator shot himself dead with firearm.

"According to the current state of the investigation, the driver is probably a 48-year-old man from Muenster," said Chief Prosecutor of Muenster Martin Botzenhardt in the statement.

Explosive objects and weapons had been found in the van at the crime scene as well as in the perpetrator's apartment, police confirmed.

Seehofer defined the attack as "coward and brutal crime", saying that the state must continue "to do everything possible to reduce or even prevent such crimes in the future".

The motivation of the attack remained unclear so far, while some German media reported that the perpetrator could be psychologically disordered. Enditem