An Afghan national who was driving the vehicle has been detained on suspicion the attack was deliberate, police said.
At least 28 people have been injured after a car plowed into a crowd during a union rally in Munich, Germany, local media have reported. According to initial reports citing eyewitness, the car, a Mini Copper, was deliberately driven into the crowd of some 1,000 demonstrators gathered on Munich’s Seidlstrasse.
The Munich police department confirmed the incident in a statement on X. “A vehicle drove into a group of people. We have strong forces on site,” the statement read, without providing details on the number of injured. A further statement claimed officers had been able to detain the driver and that he “currently poses no further danger.”
In a later statement, police said the driver involved in the accident is a 24-year-old man of Afghan origin. Media reports claim he is an asylum seeker who was previously investigated for drugs and theft. Commenting on the incident at a press-conference, Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Soder said it is “suspected to be a deliberate attack.” Police have launched a probe to determine whether the suspected attacker intentionally drove into the crowd or confused the accelerator and brake by accident.
🚨Munich Terrorism🚨
Today at 10.30 am local time a man drove a Mini car into crowd of people in Munich. A woman has died with 20 other people injured, two are critical.
Bild is reporting the arrested man is an Afghan man aged 26. https://t.co/GDKftw2mzL pic.twitter.com/rMiZbEjfDC
— David Atherton (@DaveAtherton20) February 13, 2025
The rally at which the incident occurred was organized by the United Services Union, or Verdi, the second largest trade union in Germany after IG Metal. The rally was part of what the union called a one-day “warning strike” involving public sector employees that was to be held on Thursday. Workers were demanding an 8% pay increase for municipal employees, or at least €350 per month, higher bonuses, and additional days off.
Fahrer rast in München in eine Menschenmenge. Mindestens 20 Verletzte, 2 davon schwer.
Erschütternd, was aus Deutschland geworden ist.
Und die Verantwortlichen sitzen auf der Regierungsbank oder genießen ihren Ruhestand mit fünfstelliger Pension, gepanzerter Limousine,… pic.twitter.com/Hhp8E8wFiy
— Georg Pazderski (@Georg_Pazderski) February 13, 2025
Following the incident, the union called off its rally. Later reports indicated that several children were among those injured, with one of them in critical condition.
Commenting on the incident, Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter said he was “deeply shocked” by what happened.
Thursday’s incident took place less than two months after a similar event unfolded in Germany, when a 50-year-old Saudi psychiatrist drove his car into a crowd at the Magdeburg Christmas market in December, resulting in five fatalities, including a child, and injuring over 200 people.
Prior to the incident, Saudi Arabia had reportedly alerted the German authorities about the perpetrator’s extremist views and requested his extradition, but these warnings were not acted upon. This event ignited a heated debate in Germany about security and immigration policies.
