BERLIN: A driver rammed into the headquarters of Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) in Berlin on Christmas Eve, police have said.
The crash happened at around midnight local time (23:00 GMT). The driver, a 58-year-old man, was believed to be the only person injured.
Officers found petrol canisters and lighter fluid inside the car, according to local reports.
Investigators were treating the incident as a possible arson attempt. The driver later told police he had intended to commit suicide, Berlin Police tweeted. He was said to be lightly injured.
It was unclear whether the centre-left party had been holding a function inside the building at the time. Although a fire broke out, the building’s sprinkler system put it out.
The SPD governed in a “grand coalition” with Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats between 2013 and 2017, but its leaders vowed to end the alliance in September, when the party got its worst results since 1949.
Chancellor Merkel has since been unable to form a majority government, and the SPD has agreed to “open-ended” talks on a possible new coalition.
