A car ramming attack in Munich, Germany, left 30 people injured, some critically, on 13th of February, as a Mini Cooper ploughed into a trade union demonstration. The attack comes just ahead of the Munich Security Conference and amid a heated immigration debate before Germany’s February 23 elections.
Police arrested 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker Farhad N. at the scene after firing at his car. Authorities reported indications of an Islamist motive, and the case has been handed over to the regional prosecutor’s office. According to Der Spiegel, the suspect had posted Islamist content online before the attack.
The suspect arrived in Germany in 2016 during Europe’s migrant crisis. His asylum request was denied, but he remained legally in Munich after securing employment.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned the “awful” attack and vowed severe punishment. “This attacker cannot count on any mercy,” he said, calling for deportation. Bavaria’s state premier Markus Soeder described the incident as “just terrible,” stressing the need for stronger immigration controls.
The CDU/CSU alliance, leading in election polls, has renewed calls for tougher asylum laws following recent attacks. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser pledged to accelerate deportations, including to Afghanistan, despite diplomatic challenges.
The incident follows a similar attack that took place a couple of months ago. On the evening of 21st of December, Germany witnessed a heart wrenching terrorist attack at the Christmas market in Magdeburg. A 50 year old Saudi citizen named Taleb A intentionally plowed his high speed car into the crowd who went for a Christmas holiday shopping. The car attack took away the lives of two people which included a toddler and left more than 60 people severely injured. The authorities investigating the incident revealed that the Saudi citizen was driving a rented BMW equipped with explosives. These repeated attacks upon Germnay that too in the same fashionm raises serious concerns for safety
