A man who plowed into motorcyclists in Germany is being investigated for 'an Islamist-motivated attack,' prosecutors say

• Berlin prosecutors are investigating a man who plowed into three motorcyclists on a highway Tuesday, characterizing the event as "an Islamist-motivated attack."
• The man, 30, drove his car into several vehicles and motorcycles Tuesday evening, leading to three people sustaining serious injuries and the closure of a major traffic point in Berlin for three hours, the BBC reported.
• German officials have not identified the man but said he was acting deliberately.
• "According to the current state of our investigation, we assume this was an Islamist-motivated attack," Andreas Geisel, Berlin's state interior minister, said. "A religiously motivated background cannot be excluded."

Berlin prosecutors are investigating a man accused of plowing into three motorcyclists on a highway Tuesday, characterizing the event as "an Islamist-motivated attack."

The man, 30, who German officials have not identified but said acted deliberately, drove his car into several vehicles and motorcycles Tuesday evening, the BBC reported. The incident led to three people sustaining serious injuries and the closure of a major traffic point in Berlin for three hours, according to the report.

"According to the current state of our investigation, we assume this was an Islamist-motivated attack," Andreas Geisel, Berlin's state interior minister, said. "A religiously motivated background cannot be excluded."

Prosecutors also indicated that the man may have mental health issues.

"The fact that the suspect was possibly suffering from psychological problems does not make this issue any easier," Geisel said. "If personal problems mix with religiously loaded ideas, this can lead to uncontrollable acts — yesterday's events have shown in a very painful way how vulnerable our society is."

The man had been driving a black car when he plowed into the first motorcyclist, the BBC reported. He continued to drive into two other motorcyclists, pushing the third one, who is reportedly in grave condition, into the path of his own car, according to the BBC.

According to local outlets, the man placed a box on the road and shouted, "Allahu Akbar," translating to "God is the greatest." The man also warned others not to approach him "or else you'll die," according to German outlet Tagesspiegel, citing sources.

The suspect posted to Facebook several religious phrases along with photos of his car prior to plowing into the motorcyclists, according to the Associated Press.

Berlin's Public Prosecutors Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider. But Martin Steltner, the spokesperson of the office, said the man might have been "in effect hunting down motorcyclists," the BBC reported.

"Because of the circumstances we don't see this as a random accident," Steltner said. "Latest indications point to an Islamist-motivated attack."

The suspect, identified by German media as Samrad A, is reportedly a refugee who had previously received psychiatric care for threatening to kill people.

He does not yet have any charges against him, but he is expected to face three charges of attempted murder, according to the BBC.