Suspected car-ramming attack in Munich leaves dozens injured

At least 30 people have been injured, some critically, after a car plowed into a crowd in Munich on Thursday, just a week before Germany’s federal elections.

The suspect, identified as 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker Farhad N., was arrested at the scene. Authorities have handed the investigation to counter-terrorism officers after indications the suspect had an “extremist background.”

The attack occurred at around 10:30 a.m. local time (09:30 GMT) during a transport workers’ union rally on Dachauer Strasse, near Munich’s main train station. Witnesses say the car accelerated towards a police barricade before veering into the crowd. Officers fired at the vehicle before detaining the suspect. Emergency helicopters were quickly deployed, and Munich’s mayor, Dieter Reiter, confirmed that several children were among the injured.

The timing of the incident is particularly significant, occurring just days before Germany’s federal elections scheduled for February 23. It also comes on the eve of the Munich Security Conference, a high-profile annual event where global leaders and policymakers gather to discuss pressing international issues. Among the prominent figures expected to attend are Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Vice President JD Vance, further amplifying concerns over security in the city.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz strongly denounced the attack, emphasizing that the perpetrator must face legal consequences and should no longer be allowed to remain in the country. The incident has once again fueled heated discussions surrounding Germany’s immigration policies, an issue that has already been at the center of political debates in the lead-up to the elections.

Sources revealed that the suspect first entered Germany in 2016 as a minor and applied for asylum, but his request was rejected the following year. Although authorities planned to deport him in 2020, the process was postponed due to safety concerns in Afghanistan. As a result, he was able to stay in Germany under a valid residence permit, raising further questions about the country’s asylum and deportation policies.

Thursday’s attack is the latest in a wave of violent incidents in Germany. Just three weeks ago, a stabbing in Aschaffenburg left a toddler and a 41-year-old man dead. Authorities identified the suspect as an Afghan national with alleged jihadist ties.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), currently second in election polls, has seized on the attacks to push for stricter immigration policies. AfD leader Alice Weidel has backed calls for “remigration,” a controversial term for mass deportations. In response to growing security concerns, Scholz’s government has pledged to ramp up deportations of serious criminals, with flights to Afghanistan resuming last August.

Meanwhile, a separate trial began in Stuttgart on Thursday for an Afghan man accused of killing a police officer and injuring five others in a knife attack at an anti-Islam rally last May. Months later, three people were murdered in a similar attack in Solingen, which the Islamic State later claimed responsibility for.

Munich police are investigating unconfirmed reports of a second person in the suspect’s vehicle and have called for witnesses to provide footage or information.

With Germany still reeling from multiple attacks, the Munich ramming is expected to further influence voter sentiment, putting immigration and security at the center of the upcoming federal elections.