A man directed a van against a group of people sitting in front of a famous restaurant in the historic center of Muenster in western Germany, killing at least two of them before shooting themselves dead, police said.
The vehicle has invested people sitting at tables in front of the restaurant Grosser Kiepenkerl, frequented by tourists.
"At 15:27 pm, a vehicle drove to the outside area of the restaurant ... three people were killed, 20 injured and six seriously injured", said police spokesman Andreas Bode, adding: "The suspect was killed in the vehicle. "
It was not immediately clear whether the culprit was among the three killed, or if his death had brought the death toll to four. A police spokeswoman said separately that there were at least three people dead.
A security source said the suspect is probably German.
Sueddeutsche Zeitung said the man was a German with psychological problems who had no history of terrorism. The Ministry of the Interior in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Muenster headquarters, has neither confirmed nor denied the report.
Bode said the suspect's identity is still unclear. Investigators are looking into the possibility that other suspects have fled the scene, although they had no evidence of this.
“It's too early to talk about an attack,” Bode said. "We have surrounded the area extensively, investigators are checking the crime scene, trying to identify, investigate and secure the traces, this is our current task."
The police spokesperson said: "The danger is over."
The incident came a year after a truck attack in Stockholm that killed five people.
It also evoked the memory of a truck attack in December 2016 that killed 12 people. In that attack, Anis Amri, a failed Tunisian asylum seeker with Islamic ties, hijacked a truck, killed the driver by hitting a market, killing 11 others and injuring 12.
"I am shocked by the news from Muenster," said Andrea Nahles, parliamentary leader of the Social Democrats, a minor partner in Chancellor Angela Merkel's governing coalition.
"My thoughts are with the victims and their relatives," he added. "I hope our authorities can quickly clarify the background of this incident and wish the local forces support for their work."
Government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer tweeted: “Terrible news from Muenster. Our thoughts are turned to the victims and their relatives ”.