Man Killed in Suspected Car Bomb Attack in Berlin

An "explosive device" caused a car to explode and kill the driver on a road in central Berlin on Tuesday morning, according to German police, though a spokesman said later that they were not aware of a "terrorist background" to the blast.

A spokesman said one man, the driver, had been killed in the explosion, which took place on a wide street in the Charlottenburg western district of Berlin. The car, a Volkswagen Passat, was heading towards the city center.

Gemäß unserer Kolleg. vort Ort, ist der PKW während der Fahrt explodiert und hat sich dann überschlagen.
^yt pic.twitter.com/Ae1K6OvkdG
— Polizei Berlin (@polizeiberlin) March 15, 2016

Bomb experts were on the scene investigating whether there were any further explosives and officers told residents in the area to stay indoors and keep their windows shut. The area was also sealed off.

Deputy chief spokesman for Berlin police, Carsten Mueller, told the Associated Press that "investigators are working on the assumption that it was an explosive device" inside or on the vehicle that caused the blast.

He said police were still trying to find out the man's identity.

Earlier, Berlin police spokesperson Michael Merkle told the BBC an investigation was underway. "We can't say anything about the cause. We are at the beginning of our investigation," he said.

"Forensic investigators are here, will carefully examine the car, everything will be examined. The homicide division is on site and will take over the further investigation."

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