Deadly car blast in Berlin – but was victim the bomber or a target?

Police suspect a bomb caused an explosion that killed a man driving in rush hour traffic in central Berlin. The man’s car was blown up in a busy street in the western district of Charlottenburg about 8am local time. “Our investigators are working on the assumption that it was an explosive device that caused this,” said Carsten Mueller, Berlin police deputy chief spokesman. Police do not believe there was a terrorist motive to the explosion but do not yet know whether the victim, believed to be a 43-year-old Turkish man, was a bomber or a target.

[The] explosion occurred inside or on the vehicle.

Police spokesman Carsten Mueller

Nobody else was injured despite heavy traffic at the time of the blast, Mr Mueller said. The scene was sealed off while bomb experts checked the vehicle but no further explosives were found. Images from the scene showed the wreckage of the car - a silver Volkswagen Passat - on the wide road. Its windows were blown out and front end smashed in. The vehicle was heading towards the city centre when it exploded. The victim has yet to be identified.

Berlin bomb