Trier mourns car attack victims

The German city of Trier held an event on Wednesday in memory of the victims of Tuesday's car attack, in which five people died and another fifteen were injured when a car intentionally ploughed through a pedestrian area, reported EFE-EPA.

On Tuesday, a 51-year-old German man, under the influence of alcohol and likely suffering from psychological disorders, according to the public prosecutor's office, drove into a pedestrian area, zigzagging for several hundred metres through passers-by and shopping stalls.

Next to the Porta Nigra, a city monument close to the scene of the attack, Rhineland-Palatinate state governor Malu Dreyer described the events to several hundred people as "four deadly minutes."

"Nothing can justify this horrible act," Dreyer added.

A minute's silence is scheduled for 13:46 local time on Thursday.

In Trier, residents have placed candles, flowers and banners with messages of solidarity in the pedestrian area where the attack occurred.

A public donation collection has been created to support victims and mobile psychological aid stations have been set up.

The suspect, who according to local media has already made a statement to police officers, is expected to appear before a judge as soon as possible.

The court will have to decide whether the detainee will be held in custody or whether he will be temporarily placed in a psychiatric institution.

Among the dead were a nine-and-a-half week old baby girl and her 45-year-old father. The mother sustained injuries.

There were three other fatalities, all women aged 25-73, and 15 others injured.

The Trier public prosecutor's office says the suspect was born in Trier and living in the outskirts of the city, although he had spent the last few days in his vehicle. Several local media identified him as Bernd W.

The detainee, who was heavily alcoholic at the time of his arrest, is being investigated for five alleged crimes of murder and many more of attempted murder. The motive for the attack is unknown.