At least 28 people were injured, some seriously, when a car driven by an Afghan asylum seeker entered a crowd in Munich on Thursday.
The incident, which occurred a few hours before the arrival of international leaders for the Munich security conference, is treated as a probable attack, according to Bavarian authorities.
The suspect, a 24 -year -old Afghan national, would have accelerated a white car in a group of people participating in a strike demonstration. The vehicle had approached a police convoy accompanying the workers’ demonstration before accelerating and crashed in the crowd.
The police shot the suspect, but it is not clear if it was affected. He was detained by the authorities, but his reason remains unknown. “We are currently believing that at least 28 people have been injured, some seriously,” said a police spokesperson.
The victims, who had gathered for a demonstration organized by the workers’ union in the Verdi public sector, were injured when the car crossed the crowd.
The Prime Minister of the State of Bavaria, Markus Soeder, said that the incident “was probably an attack”, and the Bavarian interior minister Joachim Herrmann, revealed that the driver had history of drugs and display flight.
His asylum application had been rejected, but he had not been expelled due to security problems in Afghanistan.
The attack occurred just a few days before the German federal elections, which were marked by debates on immigration and security. The incident added more weight to these discussions.
Immigration and security problems were key questions in the conduct of the February 23 elections, and the attack drew the attention of conservative and extreme right political parties.
Friedrich Merz, precursor of the German Chancellery, made public her position on the law and the order, declaring that security would be his absolute priority. “We will apply the law and the order. Everyone must again feel safe in our country. Something should change in Germany, ”he posted on social networks.
The extreme right alternative for Germany (AFD) has also weighed on the issue, Co-Leader Alice Weidel criticizing the status of the suspect as an Afghan asylum seeker, calling for a “migration turnaround”. Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned the attacker, declaring that they “had to be punished and that they must leave the country”.
Witnesses described the moment when the car accelerated through the crowd, with a passerby remembering having seen the white mini-cooper move between police vehicles before accelerating. After the accident, the street was dispersed of personal effects, including clothing, bags and a broken pram.
