20 injured as car driven into pedestrians in Munich ahead of conference attended by Vance, Rubio

MUNICH, Germany— German police said Thursday that a car had driven into a crowd of people in the city of Munich, injuring at least 20 people. The incident came the day before a major security conference attended by world leaders was set to begin.

The car struck pedestrians in the city center on or near Dachauer Straße and Seidlstraße and confirmed a “major police operation,” police said, adding that the driver of the car had been “secured” by police and poses no further threat.

Munich Fire Service spokesperson Bernhard Peschke said at least 20 people had been injured. 

It is not clear whether the collision was intentional or accidental and the status of the injured people is not known. A large presence of police and firefighters was at the scene and police have warned the public to avoid the area.

Police spokesman Thomas Schelshorn told NBC News at the scene that the motive remains unclear, but confirmed that a trade union demonstration had been taking place nearby.

The Munich Security Conference, which is an annual meeting of politicians and defense officials from across the world, is set to get underway on Friday amid a large police presence and tight security protocol.

Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are expected to attend, and are slated to meet with U.S. partners in order to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine while at the summit.

At noon local time (6 a.m. ET) Bavarian interior minister Joachim Herrmann and Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter are expected to speak at the site.

This is a developing story. Please check back soon for updates.