BOTTROP, GERMANY — The attack occurred in the early hours on New Year's Day and appears to have been directed at immigrants.<br /><br />According to DW, a 50-year-old man seen driving a silver Mercedes first targeted a male pedestrian in the Western city of Bottrop. The man managed to avoid being hit.<br /><br />The man then drove into the inner city where he plowed into a group of pedestrians on the side of the street, injuring four.<br /><br />He then attempted to run over a group of people waiting at a bus stop in the nearby city of Essen before being detained by police.<br /><br />Police said those hit by the car included Syrians and Afghans, some of which were seriously injured.<br /><br />According to local authorities, the man made racist remarks after his arrest. The man is also suspected to suffer from a mental illness.<br /><br />According to a statement by the interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia state, Herbert Reul, "there was a clear intention by this man to kill foreigners.
