Berlin 'car bomb' kills male driver in German capital

The explosion occured around 8am local time in the western district of Charlottenburg

Berlin Police uploaded a picture of the wreckage of a silver VW Passat with its windows blown out and its front end smashed in (Berlin Police/Twitter)

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.

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.

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.

Additional reporting by agencies