The German police have arrested a 24-year-old Afghan asylum applicant as the alleged perpetrator of a multiple outrage in the city of Munich, which has resulted in at least 28 people injured, two of them seriously. The incident occurred around half past ten in the morning, when the suspect, identified as Farhad N., accelerated his mini Cooper and threw himself against a group of people demonstrating in a central square of the capital of Bavaria. The protesters, consisting of employees from nurseries, hospitals, sanitary facilities, and public swimming pools, had gathered to demand better salaries, with over a thousand people in attendance, including numerous children.
Bavaria’s Prime Minister, Markus Söder, considered the outrage “probably an attack” that comes at the peak of an electoral campaign dominated by fears around security and immigration, increasing tensions between parties and fueling support for the extreme right. According to the police, the driver is an asylum applicant who was captured shortly after and acted alone. The Interior Minister of Bavaria, Joachim Herrmann, stated that Farhad N. arrived in Germany at the end of 2016 as an unaccompanied minor and was welcomed in a social assistance center for young people. His asylum request was rejected in September 2017, and he has had an order to leave the country since the fall of 2020.
Hermann added that Farhad N. was known to the police and had been captured for different robberies and violation of the Narcotics Law, although there was no evidence that he was an extremist. However, there are increasing indications that point to an extremist history. Before the attack, he allegedly published an Islamist message, and according to the magazine “Der Spiegel,” he shared content on his social networks about alleged Islamist contributions. The investigation is ongoing, and the police have registered his home.
The outrage is the second massive incident in Germany in two months, following the attack on a Magdeburg Christmas market on December 20 that resulted in six deaths. Foreign Minister Olaf Scholz spoke of a “terrible attack” and announced harsh measures, stating that the author of the facts cannot expect any indulgence and must be punished and leave the country. Scholz highlighted the difficulty of deporting Afghan citizens due to the lack of diplomatic relations with the ruling Taliban, but emphasized that his government has taken measures to ensure that more suspects accused of violent crimes can be returned to that country.
Other politicians have also reacted to the incident. Friedrich Merz, candidate for Chancellor of the Conservative Union, stated that something must change in Germany, prioritizing citizen safety and compliance with law and order. Robert Habeck, the candidate for the Greens, expressed his horror at the meaningless act, while the leader of the Ultra Alternative Party for Germany (AFD) blamed the federated state of Bavaria for not deporting the suspect and called for a radical change in immigration matters.
The alleged attack in Munich occurs a week before the federal elections, where internal security and immigration policy are playing a significant role in the context of several violent crimes. The capital of Bavaria had already begun to implement stricter security measures before the Munich Security Conference, which starts on Friday and will be attended by senior officials from around the world, including the US Vice President and the Ukrainian President. The authorities do not believe that the attack was related to the conference.
Scholz advocates to expel the accused of the outrage from the country
Germany’s Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has announced overwhelming measures after the multiple outrage, stating that the author cannot count on any indulgence and must be punished and leave the country. This stance adopts a resounding speech against asylum seekers who commit crimes, closer to the positions of the political right. Scholz asserted that anyone who commits crimes in Germany will not only be punished and sent to prison but will also be expelled from the country.