Car crashes into Munich crowd: 36 injured in shocking incident!

Car crashes into Munich crowd: 36 injured in shocking incident!

A shocking incident occurred on Thursday morning in Munich: A 24-year-old Afghan citizen drove a car into a crowd around 10:30 a.m. during a Verdi trade union demonstration. At least 36 people were injured in the attack, including two seriously injured, one of whom is a child. The perpetrator, who had previously had a rejected asylum application but was in the country legally, was arrested at the scene and is now in custody. According to the “Bild” newspaper, he claimed that Allah had ordered him to act and wanted to “send everyone to paradise”.

The investigation was taken over by the Federal Prosecutor's Office because there was a possible religious motivation and a threat to the democratic order. An investigating judge ordered pre-trial detention on strong suspicion of 39 attempted murders. When he was arrested, the perpetrator apparently shouted “Allahu Akbar” and began to pray. The Munich police reported that a “certain Islamist orientation” was detected in his chat history and that he said goodbye to relatives with the words: “Maybe I won’t be there tomorrow.”

Investigations regarding residence status

There were originally contradictory information about Farhad N.'s residence status. While it was initially reported that he was required to leave the country, Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann later confirmed that he had a valid residence permit, although it would expire in April 2025. When arrested, the perpetrator admitted that he had deliberately driven into the demonstration, although the police assume that the target group was rather random.

The special commission, which has increased to more than 100 officers, has now searched his apartment, but no evidence of accomplices or a specific planned crime was found. The incident occurred not far from Munich Central Station and led to increased alertness in the city, especially in view of the Munich Security Conference taking place at the same time. The Verdi union was “deeply dismayed and shocked” and called for a fair review of the events, while the security authorities continue to closely examine whether there are connections to other security situations, as “Tagesspiegel” reported.