Four pedestrians were killed and 15 others injured when they were struck by a car on a sidewalk in the city of Trier, Germany on Tuesday.

The driver of the vehicle has been arrested and has been identified as a 51-year-old German man.

"We have several injured people in the pedestrian zone, who were hit by a car. The car is secured, the driver has been detained," a police spokesperson said.

Police stated that the driver deliberately rammed into the crowd of people, but have not yet determined the motive for the attack.