Germany: Car bomb goes off in Berlin, one dead at least

A suspected car bomb has killed a man driving through the German capital of Berlin.

The explosion occurred around 8am local time in the western district of Charlottenburg. The driver reportedly died of serious injuries before an ambulance arrived.

Carsten Mueller, the deputy chief spokesman for Berlin police, said that “investigators are working on the assumption that it was an explosive device” inside or on the vehicle which caused the blast.

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

Unsere Entschärfer überprüfen derzeit das Fahrzeug.
^yt pic.twitter.com/kLa89gw5Ns

— Polizei Berlin (@polizeiberlin) March 15, 2016

Berlin Police uploaded a picture of the wreckage of a silver VW Passat. The car’s windows had been blown out and its front end smashed in. 

“Our investigators believe it was an explosive device that caused the vehicle to explode,” they said on Twitter. 

Berlin Police release first video of bomb aftermath

German police have sealed off the area and investigators checked the car for more explosives. They said the car posed no further risk.

Prosecutors have identified the victim as a 43-year-old man previously investigated for dealing drugs, forgery and illegal gambling.

“There is no evidence of there being a terrorist background,” a spokesman for Berlin police said.

It is unclear whether the driver, of Turkish background, was the target of the bomb, as he was not the owner of the car.

Investigators suspect a link to organised crime.