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The 48-year-old German man who drove a van into a crowd Muenster was well-known to police, German prosecutors said Sunday.

The man, whose name has not been released, killed two people and injured 20 others Saturday afternoon outside a bar in the city's old town before shooting himself to death in the van.

German public broadcaster ZDF suggested the man had links to the far-right, but said he was not known to be a member of extremist group.

He was a Muenster resident and apparently well-off. The city's police president, Hajo Kuhlisch, said the man's four apartments - two in Muenster and two in Saxony - had been searched, but that the man's motive is not yet clear.

"We have no indications that there is a political background or that others were involved," prosecutor Elke Adomeit told reporters. "But he was well known to the police."

She said the man had faced court proceedings three times, including twice in Muenster and one in nearby Arnsberg in 2015 and 2016.

His run-ins with the law were linked to threats, property damage, fraud and a hit-and-run, but Ms Adomeit said that all charges were dismissed.

Local media have said the man was suffering psychological problems, but police would not confirm those details.

Authorities have identified the two victims killed by the van crash as a 51-year-old woman from Lueneburg county and a 65-year-old man from nearby Borken county.

Their names weren't given, as is customary in Germany.

Early Sunday, all three bodies were taken from the crash scene in front of the well-known Kiepenkerl pub.

Car crashes into crowds in Muenster 8 show all Car crashes into crowds in Muenster 1/8 They said an 'attack could not be ruled out' AP 2/8 Police have blocked off the street REUTERS/ 3/8 Ambulances attended, several people are believed to have been killed AP 4/8 Police at the scene REUTERS/ 5/8 Around 30 people are believed to have been injured AP 6/8 REUTERS/ 7/8 Firefighters stand in downtown Muenster AP 8/8 Police have warned people to avoid the area as they investigate the incident AP 1/8 They said an 'attack could not be ruled out' AP 2/8 Police have blocked off the street REUTERS/ 3/8 Ambulances attended, several people are believed to have been killed AP 4/8 Police at the scene REUTERS/ 5/8 Around 30 people are believed to have been injured AP 6/8 REUTERS/ 7/8 Firefighters stand in downtown Muenster AP 8/8 Police have warned people to avoid the area as they investigate the incident AP

The silver-grey van that crashed into the crowd was hauled away hours later, after explosives experts had thoroughly checked it.

Inside the van, police found illegal firecrackers that were disguised as a fake bomb, a fake pistol and the real gun that the driver used to kill himself with.

Inside the apartment where the man was living, which was nearby the crash scene, police found more firecrackers and a "no-longer usable AK-47 machine gun."

Officials said some of the 20 people injured were still in a life-threatening condition Sunday. They have not identified them, but said that people from The Netherlands are among them.

Armin Laschet, the governor of North Rhine-Westphalia state where Muenster is located, said on Sunday: "This was a horrible and sad day for the people of Muenster, all of Germany ... and also the people of The Netherlands, who were sitting here and became victims."

Muenster is a popular tourist destination with 300,000 inhabitants, known for its medieval old town, which was rebuilt after the massive destruction during World War II.

The city was buzzing on Saturday - one of the first warm spring days of the year - and people were sitting outside the famous Kiepenkerl pub when the 48-year-old German drove his van into the bar's tables with such force that the vehicle only stopped when it hit the pub's wall.

Police quickly evacuated the area and ambulances, firefighters and helicopters rushed to the scene to aid those who were injured.

German Interior minister Horst Seehofer, who visited the crash scene with Laschet on Sunday and placed flowers there, said "this cowardly and brutal crime has shocked all of us."

Additional reporting by Associated Press