Several injured after car drives into group of people in Munich, police say – BBC.com
An Afghan asylum seeker drove at a group of people in Munich, police say, injuring at least 28Officers are treating the incident as a suspected attack – the suspect was known to police for theft and drug offencesLocal media have named the 24-year-old suspect as Farhad N. Reports say he came to Germany in 2016 – he had his asylum application rejected, but his deportation was suspendedPolice say counter-terrorism officers have taken over the investigation due to indications the suspect has an “extremist background”The car accelerated before hitting a trade union rally; an officer fired one shot at the suspect before he was arrested, they addThe crash happened hours before the US vice president and Ukrainian president were due to arrive in the city for the Munich Security Conference – but police say they don’t believe it’s relatedThis video can not be played’He must leave the country’: Olaf Scholz responds to suspected attack in MunichEdited by Jenna Moon, with Daniel Wittenberg reporting from MunichJenna MoonLive reporterAt least 28 people have been injured after an Afghan asylum seeker drove at a crowd of people in Munich, police say.People had been gathering at a trade union rally when the car accelerated in their direction. An officer fired one shot at the suspect before he was arrested – he was injured, but sustained no gunshot wounds.Police say no other people are known to have been involved.The suspect – named locally as 24-year-old Farhad N – came to Germany in 2016, according to reports. He had his asylum application rejected, but his deportation was suspended. Counter-terrorism police have taken over the investigation due to indications that the suspect has an “extremist background”, say police. BBC Verify has been looking into his social media presence.The attack comes as the city prepares to host the Munich Security Conference this weekend. Authorities do not believe this incident is related to the event.And, with just 10 days to go before a national election, the profile of the suspect will add to an already fevered debate about migration, writes the BBC Berlin correspondent Damien McGuinness.German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, alongside other politicians, has responded harshly to the incident.”This perpetrator cannot hope for any leniency. He must be punished and he must leave the country,” Scholz told reporters.We’re now pausing our live coverage now. You can keep up with the latest updates in our main story.This page was written from London by Asya Robins, Ruth Comerford, and me. Daniel Wittenberg, Damien McGuinness, Jessica Parker and Kristina Volk reported from Germany. The editors were Owen Amos and Emily Atkinson.Photos have been coming through to our London newsroom throughout the day, showing scenes from Munich as they unfolded.We’ve rounded up five key photos illustrating the day.Police examine the wreck of the white Mini Cooper involved in the attackPolice secure the area and ambulances rush to the sceneInterior Minister Nancy Faeser, Munich mayor Dieter Reiter, Bavarian interior Minister Joachim Herrmann and public sector workers union Verdi’s leader Frank Werneke pay their respectsCandles are lit at the makeshift memorial scene. One inscribed with the message “our thoughts are with you”German Chancellor Olaf Scholz gives a statement, saying the perpetrator can “not expect any leniency” from German authoritiesHafizullah MaroofBBC Afghan serviceGermany has reportedly taken in over 30,000 vulnerable Afghans since the Taliban took over
their home country in 2021. Many now live in Munich.Some that I spoke to there condemned the suspected attack, but also expressed concern about its impacts on their
daily life. Miwand
Khan has been living in the outskirts of Munich for 10 years. “I strongly
condemn the [suspected] attack. Such incidents will surge anger in the community toward us,
while it is individual act,” he says.With Germany just a week away from a national election, some Afghans believe the suspected attack
will pave the way for the far-right to take a tougher stance on migrants. Momozai, who has lived in Munich for more than three decades, says: “Some parties are already
against the migrants. This [suspected] attack, in a time while the Munich [Security] Conference is
being held, will make them take harder lines against refugees.”Germany became the first ever EU country to deport Afghans after the
Taliban swept to power, but this suspected attack will force the German authorities to take further action.Damien McGuinnessBerlin correspondentPolice say they have indications that the driver of the car that rammed into a Munich protest could have “extremist” tendencies.The suspect came to Germany in 2016 from Afghanistan. His application for asylum was rejected, but he was given permission to stay in Germany.With just 10 days to go before a national election, the profile of the suspect will add to an already fevered debate about migration.A number of attacks linked to migrants over the last year have led to increased support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.And mainstream parties, particularly the conservative candidate, Friedrich Merz, who’s tipped to be Germany’s next chancellor, are taking an unusually tough line on migration.Meanwhile, many worry that anti-migrant rhetoric simply helps the far-right and stigmatises people with non-German heritage. Daniel WittenbergReporting from MunichA trickle of people have started arriving at the
scene of the suspected attack to lay flowers and light candles for those
injured.Messages are written on the lanterns they have been
lighting. Some of them translate from German as “together for democracy and
human rights”, “our thoughts are with the victims” and “do not take advantage
of this attack in the election campaign.”I’ve spoken to people from across the political
spectrum. Few are in any doubt that the suspect’s identity has become part of
the debate ahead of the election ten days from now.Kristina VolkReporting from MunichGermany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has come to the site of the suspected attack to lay down a flower wreath and speak to the press.She expresses her condolences to the victims and their families, and thanks the first responders at the scene. Faeser says the suspect will be prosecuted with the “full force of the law” and that discussions around deportations to Afghanistan need to be revisited. By Rozina Sini & Soroush PakzadBBC Verify has been looking into the suspect’s social media presence. He’s been named by local media as 24-year-old Farhad N, originally from Afghanistan. We have found Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok profiles of someone from Kabul in Afghanistan who lives in Munich with the same name.Although we can’t be certain it’s the same person, the profiles have now been removed, which commonly happens when a suspect is identified.They show images of him standing next to a white Mini Cooper – the same type of car pictured at the scene of the attack. His Instagram bio says he is a fitness model, and his posts show a passion for body building.He has posted content supporting rebels fighting against the Taliban. In several posts he says he wishes Afghan girls could go back to school.We have not seen evidence of Islamist or jihadist content.While some of his videos are overlaid with Quran verses and his Facebook profile picture shows the word Allah in Arabic, this is not necessarily unusual as many ordinary Afghans share this kind of content.German media outlets have named the 24-year-old suspect in today’s car crash in Munich as Farhad N.The BBC, and German media, are not giving his full name due to local privacy laws.More now on that new statement from Munich Police – the first instalment is in our previous post.It confirms again that an officer fired one shot at the Mini Cooper used in the suspected attack, and its driver was subsequently secured and arrested.The suspect was slightly injured, it adds, but did not have gunshot wounds.As we’ve been reporting, the suspect is a 24-year-old Afghan refugee. The statement now adds that no other people are known to have been involved.We can bring you an update now from Munich Police on the suspected attack in this city this morning.It says that the Bavarian Central Office for Combating Extremism and Terrorism has taken over the investigation due to indications that the suspect has an “extremist background”.Some context: The suspect is a 24-year-old Afghan refugee. Reports say he came to Germany in 2016. He had his asylum application rejected, but his deportation was suspended.The latest images from the scene show the white Mini Cooper used in the suspected attack being removed from the scene.BBC reporter Daniel Wittenberg has been at the scene of the incident today.In the video below, we can see the aftermath of suspected ramming attack, and police working through evidence.You can watch Daniel’s latest dispatch below:This video can not be playedBBC at the scene of suspected car ramming attack in MunichWe’ll continue to monitor updates on this story. Stay with us.New images show police gathering evidence at the scene of the incident, including what appears to be a number plate.By Paul BrownBBC Verify has been analysing videos of the suspected vehicle ramming
incident earlier today in Munich.At present all the footage we have seen shows the aftermath of the attack – mostly
damage and people receiving first aid on the floor. In one clip we see police
surrounding an individual and holding him face down on the ground next to a
damaged Mini Cooper.The location is a central area of Munich on the intersection of Seidlestrasse
and Karlstrasse. Google Streetview from this location is fairly recent, making
it easy to match details like shopfronts and road markings.The
Verdi union says the attack happened during a demonstration by its members. According to Google, Verdi’s Munich HQ is
around 800m (2,625 feet) from the scene.So far no footage is available showing the moment of the attack itself. The
area is well covered by CCTV.As we’ve reported, today’s attack came as Munich was preparing to host the Munich Security Conference, which starts tomorrow.US Vice President JD Vance has already arrived in the city, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, among others, is due to arrive later today.Police do not believe the attack is related to the conference, but Munich police spokesperson, Thomas Schelshorn, says they are deploying 5,000 officers for security purposes, Reuters reports.”We have very, very high safety standards,” he says, adding:”The participants of demonstrations taking place here will be protected. The participants of the Munich Security Conference will be protected. That’s why we have so many officers on duty. There is no such thing as 100% protection, as we have seen again today.”Police at the scene of the suspected attack earlier todayThe suspected attack in Munich has come up in Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte’s news conference in Brussels.Rutte expressed his “shock and sadness” at the events in Munich.”We stand in solidarity with our ally Germany, and our thoughts are with the victims and their loves ones,” he says.Police said earlier the suspect is a 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker.Now German outlet Der Spiegel reports that he came to Germany at the end of 2016 and his asylum application was later rejected.He was then granted what has been translated as a “tolerance” permit, which means his deportation decision was suspended.Officials earlier said he was known to the police for theft and drug offences.Jessica ParkerBerlin correspondentGermany is just over a week away from a snap election, brought about by the collapse of Olaf Scholz’s coalition government. The Social Democratic chancellor has been adopting an increasingly tough stance on migration, following a string of attacks involving asylum seeker suspects. His rival, the conservative CDU (Christian Democratic Union) leader Friedrich Merz, has likewise sought to take a harder line. Both men are very conscious that the far-right Alternative for Germany party – that’s polling second – has made immigration its signature issue. The suffering of those who’ve been injured – and their families – will of course mainly occupy many people’s thoughts today. However, it’s also the case that migration and public safety is now even more likely to dominate the final week of Germany’s election campaign.Markus Soder (right, in hat) speaking to reporters in Munich earlierWe can now bring you fuller comments from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Bavarian Premier Markus Soder, who were speaking earlier.”We will clarify all the details, but we react cautiously to every attack like this. But I can also tell you that our determination is growing,” Soder said at the scene in Munich.”This is not the first case and who knows what else will happen.”It is now even more important that, in addition to the processing of individual cases, in addition to the concern that we all feel, in addition to the sympathy and in addition to the great hope that many will recover, we also show the determination that something must change in Germany.”Meanwhile, Scholz – speaking in the German city of Furth – said the perpetrator “must leave the country”. Watch some of his comments below:This video can not be played’He must leave the country’: Olaf Scholz responds to suspected attack in MunichCopyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.
