According to preliminary investigations, the 57-year-old man had stolen the van from a rental car company on the arrivals level of the airport. The car had recently been returned and was set to be cleaned. The key had been in the vehicle. "He then drove this vehicle forward and backward several times against other parked vehicles and caused considerable damage," said Christoph Gilles, press spokesman for the Cologne police. Several vehicles were damaged. Driving the van, he also rammed a car that was entering, hitting it on the side, said the spokesman. The man continued driving until the vehicle couldn’t make it any further. Police officers overpowered the 57-year-old. He was arrested and is now in hospital. He is believed to suffer from mental illness.

"In at least two cases, the man apparently drove right at people who were able to get to safety," Gilles said. At least five people suffered minor injuries, he added. Among them, he said, were some who were in shock.

One person was seriously injured while trying to evade the van, ending up pinned between two damaged vehicles, according to the spokesman. No one suffered life-threatening injuries, he said. Two of the injured were police officers who suffered minor injuries when the man resisted arrest, the police spokesman said.

The motives behind the crime remain unclear and the investigation is ongoing. Just before the incident happened, airport security had expelled the man twice from the airport because of his behavior. During the second time, the police were called in and ordered him to leave. A spokesperson was unable to say exactly what it was about.

(Orig. text: dpa/ga / Translation: ck)