German police believe a 24-year-old Afghan who rammed a car into a crowd of protestors in Munich may have been motivated by Islamist extremism.
The suspect injured 36 people when he drove a white Mini Cooper into the crowd and has admitted he had done so deliberately, police said in a Friday morning press conference.
A child was one of two people seriously injured in the attack, police added. The suspected attacker was named as Farhad Noori by the Munich public prosecutor, according to Reuters.
Islamist tendencies were discovered in Noori’s online communications, after police seized his phone and other electronics. There is no evidence he was a member of any Islamist organisation, police said.
"I'm very cautious about making hasty judgements, but based on everything we know at the moment, I would venture to speak of an Islamist motivation for the crime," prosecutor Gabriele Tilmann said.
Noori, a keen body builder with thousands of social media followers, also said goodbye to his family members before the attack. "Tomorrow I won't be here anymore,” he told family members.
The Munich Security Conference is set to open on Friday, with US vice-president JD Vance and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky due to arrive within hours.
Key Points
- We are assuming Islamist extremist motive, say police
- Child seriously injured, 36 in total
- Suspect said goodbye to relatives before crash
- Suspect is Afghan asylum-seeker, say authorities
- Suspect 'had put Islamist posts on social media'
Attacks raise pre-election calls for migration crackdown
12:44 , Alex CroftThree weeks ago, a two-year-old boy and a man were killed in a knife attack in Aschaffenburg, also in Bavaria.
An Afghan whose asylum application was rejected was the suspect in that attack, which propelled migration to the centre of the German election campaign.
The Aschaffenburg attack followed knife attacks in Mannheim and in Solingen last year in which the suspects were immigrants from Afghanistan and Syria, respectively - in the latter case, also a rejected asylum-seeker who was supposed to have left the country.
In December a Saudi doctor who previously had come to various regional authorities' attention was suspected of being the driver when a car rammed a Christmas market in Magdeburg.
Germany's main opposition conservative bloc has demanded a tougher approach to irregular migration, calling for many more people to be turned back at the country's borders and for an increase in deportations.
Curbing migration is also a core issue for the far-right Alternative for Germany.
Suspect wrote 'eradicate those bad to Islam' on social media - report
12:15 , Alex CroftGerman newspaper Der Spiegel previously reported that Farhad Noori had published Islamist posts online prior to the attack.
One of the posts, from just a few days ago, called to “eradicate all those who are bad to Islam”, the outlet reported.
Counter-terrorism police are leading the investigation into the attack - and are expected to provide an update in five minutes.
Munich car attack suspect: What we know about Afghan bodybuilder and asylum-seeker Farhad Noori
11:51 , Alex CroftAn Afghan bodybuilder with thousands of online followers was arrested after a car was driven into a Munich crowd on Thursday.
At least 36 people were injured, two of whom were left fighting for life after a Mini Cooper was rammed into a group of trade union strikers on Seidlstrasse at around 10:30am.
German police believe the attack may have been motivated by Islamist extremism, they said on Friday morning. The alleged attacker admitted to deliberately ramming into the crowd, police added in a press conference.
Anti-terror police in Germany are investigating the incident, and the suspect has been named as Farhad Noori by the Munich prosecutor’s office.
Here is everything we know about the person suspected of being behind the Munich car attack so far.
Munich car attack suspect: All we know about Afghan asylum-seeker Farhad Noori
Police press conference summary - key points
11:27 , Alex CroftHere are the key points from the press conference held by police on Friday morning.
- A 24-year-old Afghan, who arrived in Germany as an asylum-seeker in 2016, and said "Allahu Akbar" or "God is great" after his arrest.
- The suspected attacker admitted to driving into the crowd deliberately.
- Police now suspect an Islamist motivation behind the attack, but there is no evidence that the perpetrator was a member of an Islamist organisation. Yesterday, the Munich public prosecutor’s office named the detained person as Farhad Noori.
- A child is among the two people who were seriously injured, police confirmed. According to BR24, this child was a two-year-old girl.
- A total of 36 people among the demonstrators were injured.
- The suspect said goodbye to relatives before the crash. "Tomorrow I won't be here anymore,” he told family members.
- The suspect’s phones and electronics have been seized. His communications, mostly in Arabic, give indications of Islamist tendencies, they said.
- The suspect is under investigation on 36 counts of attempted murder as well as bodily harm and dangerous interference with road traffic.
In pictures: Candles lit and flowers laid for the injured
10:57 , Alex Croft
Farhad Noori admitted deliberately driving into crowd - press conference
10:36 , Alex CroftFarhad Noori confessed during questioning that he had deliberately driven into the demonstration, the senior public prosecutor said.
Police currently believe an Islamist motivation behind the attack is the most likely.
No indication of accomplices
10:33 , Alex CroftThere is no suggestion that any accomplices were involved in the attack, authorities said.
But police are looking into whether anyone else knew about the attack.
We are assuming Islamic extremist attack, say police - press conference
10:32 , Alex CroftGerman authorities are presuming that the Munich car attack was motivated by Islamist extremism.
But there is no reason to believe the perpetrator was a member of any Islamist organisation.
Islamist tendencies were visible in his communications.
Noori said goodbye to relatives before crash - press conference
10:28 , Alex CroftPolice have offered an update on their investigation into Farhad Noori, the driver of the Mini which drove into a crowd of demonstrators.
He said goodbye to his relatives before the car attack took place. "Tomorrow I won't be here anymore,” he told family members.
Noori was interviewed for two hours, and police are looking through his electronics and phones. Most of his communication is in Arabic.
“We were not able to find anything in his apartment and we were not able to find anything that specifically pointed to preparations for this attack,” police said according to a Sky News translation.
Child seriously injured, 36 in total - press conference
10:22 , Alex CroftA child was seriously injured in Thursday’s Munich car incident, believed to be an attack, police said in a Friday morning press conference.
A total of 36 people were injured in the attack, deputy police chief Christian Huber said.
Munich police reinstall traffic closures around crash site
09:47 , Alex CroftOn Friday morning, police in Munich reinstalled traffic measures around the site of Thursday’s suspected car attack.
It was unclear why the cordon was put back in place after they had lifted the cordon from the crime scene last night.
Police announced the scene was closed at around 9:30am, before it was reopened around 45 minutes later.
German authorities to give update in press conference
09:25 , Alex CroftGerman authorities will give an update in a press conference later this morning.
It comes with the motive behind the attack still unclear. It is also unclear whether the detained suspect has been charged yet.
The conference will take place at 11am local time (10am GMT).
Minister corrects claim that alleged driver had previously committed a crime
09:00 , Alex CroftSoon after the crime, Bavarian interior minister told reporters that Farhad N, the man suspected of being behind the Munich incident, was known to police due to shoplifting and drug offences.
Later that evening, the police corrected this information, according to Der Spiegel.
Farhad N was reportedly only a witness to these proceedings, having previously worked as a store detective.
FC Bayern Munich 'shaken' after suspected attack
08:34 , Alex CroftFC Bayern Munich has expressed its shock and devastation following the Munich car incident on Thursday, believed to be an attack.
In a post on X, the club said it was “shaken” after 30 were injured and expressed its “deepest sympathies” to those affected.
Herbert Hainer, the football club’s president, said: "Munich is our home city, and today our home was deeply shocked. The thoughts of the FC Bayern family are with those affected and their loved ones.
“We sincerely wish them all a speedy recovery and that the number of injured does not rise."
𝐌𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐤 - 𝐅𝐂 𝐁𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧
— FC Bayern (@FCBayernEN) February 13, 2025
FC Bayern was devastated to hear of the incident in Munich city centre, in which several people, including children, were injured, some seriously, by a car driving into the crowd at a rally. The German record… pic.twitter.com/QOaXCmcNNP
German terror police probe Munich car attack that injured 30 people as Mini Cooper drove into crowd
08:06 , Alex CroftPolice in Germany have arrested an Afghan migrant after a car drove into a union demonstration in central Munich on Thursday, injuring at least 30 people, including children. Authorities said the incident was believed to be an attack.
At least two people were left fighting for their lives after the Mini Cooper was driven into a protest organised by trade union Verdi, attended by an estimated 2,500 strikers and supporters, including family members.
Detectives raided the home of the suspect, a 24-year-old Afghan asylum-seeker, who is being questioned.
The general prosecutor’s office in Munich has identified him as Farhad Noori, according to the Reuters news agency. Born in Kabul in 2001, he first arrived in Germany from Afghanistan at the end of 2016, Der Spiegel reported.
Full story here:
Terror police probe Munich car attack that injured 30 people as Mini rammed crowd
Many low-paid city workers among injured
07:01 , Jane DaltonMany employees of the Munich city administration are among the injured, Munich's deputy mayor Dominik Krause announced.
They are "people who make sure our city functions every day - whether in the daycare centres or rubbish collection", he said.
Several had their children with them, "which makes the act all the more heinous", he said.
In pictures: At the scene
06:06 , Jane Dalton
Prosecutors reveal suspect's identity
05:05 , Jane DaltonThe general prosecutor’s office in Munich has identified the suspect of the crowd ramming as Farhad Noori, according to the Reuters news agency.
Born in Kabul in 2001, he first arrived in Germany from Afghanistan at the end of 2016, Der Spiegel reported.
Bavarian interior minister Joachim Herrmann said the suspect had been known to police for drug and shoplifting offences.
His asylum application had been rejected, said Mr Herrmann, but he had not been forced to leave due to security concerns in Afghanistan.
Suspect known for drugs and shoplifting
04:04 , Jane DaltonThe suspect is known to police for drug and shoplifting offences, according to Bavarian interior minister Joachim Herrmann.
His asylum application had been rejected, said Mr Herrmann, but he had not been forced to leave due to security concerns in Afghanistan.
Immigration and security issues have dominated campaigning ahead of the February 23 election, especially after other violent incidents, with polls showing the centre-right conservatives leading, followed by the far right.
In December, six people were killed in an attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg, and last month a toddler and adult were killed in a knife attack in the Bavarian town of Aschaffenburg. Immigrants have been arrested over both attacks.
What is known about Afghan asylum-seeker
03:02 , Jane Dalton
All we know about Afghan asylum seeker arrested after car driven into a Munich crowd
Attacks raise pre-election calls for migration crackdown
02:02 , Jane DaltonThree weeks ago, a two-year-old boy and a man were killed in a knife attack in Aschaffenburg, also in Bavaria.
An Afghan whose asylum application was rejected was the suspect in that attack, which propelled migration to the centre of the German election campaign.
The Aschaffenburg attack followed knife attacks in Mannheim and in Solingen last year in which the suspects were immigrants from Afghanistan and Syria, respectively - in the latter case, also a rejected asylum-seeker who was supposed to have left the country.
In December a Saudi doctor who previously had come to various regional authorities' attention was suspected of being the driver when a car rammed a Christmas market in Magdeburg.
Germany's main opposition conservative bloc has demanded a tougher approach to irregular migration, calling for many more people to be turned back at the country's borders and for an increase in deportations.
Curbing migration is also a core issue for the far-right Alternative for Germany.
'Thoughts with innocent victims' - union chairman
00:42 , Jane DaltonFrank Werneke, chairman of trade union Ver.di, which organised the rally where people were injured said: “We are deeply dismayed and shocked by the serious incident during a peaceful demonstration by ver.di colleagues.
“Our thoughts are with the innocent victims and injured as well as their families. It is not yet clear whether there are any fatalities. We would like to thank all of the helpers for their commitment.
“This is a difficult moment for all colleagues. We unions stand for solidarity, especially in such a dark hour.”
Watch: There must be consequences says chancellor Scholz
Thursday 13 February 2025 23:45 , Jane DaltonSuspect had 'extremist background' and 'put up Islamic posts'
Thursday 13 February 2025 22:30 , Jane DaltonProsecutors said the suspect had at least “indications of an extremist background”, German news site Zeit Online reported.
Der Spiegel said he was believed to have put Islamist posts on social media before the attack.
Aa spokesperson for the General prosecutor’s office in Munich confirmed to Reuters the suspect was named Farhad Noori.
He was arrested and being questioned, and his apartment was searched.
Security conference chiefs 'deeply saddened'
Thursday 13 February 2025 21:15 , Jane DaltonOrganisers of the Munich security conference said they were deeply saddened by what happened, asking people to “remain calm and follow the instructions of the authorities”.
We were deeply saddened to learn that a tragic incident occurred this morning in the #Munich city center in which a vehicle drove into a crowd of people. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families. The emergency services are at the scene and an investigation is underway…
— Munich Security Conference (@MunSecConf) February 13, 2025
Watch: German chancellor says suspect must leave country
Thursday 13 February 2025 20:49 , Jane Dalton
German chancellor says Munich car attack suspect ‘must leave country’
Four victims needed emergency surgery
Thursday 13 February 2025 20:15 , Jane DaltonFour people had to be operated on immediately on arriving at hospital, it’s been reported.
News site BR24 said the injured were being cared for in several hospitals in the city, including the LMU's Hauner Children's Hospital.
Some of the injured are also being cared for at the Munich Red Cross Clinic, as well as in the Munich Clinic's emergency centres, it said.
Many low-paid city workers among injured
Thursday 13 February 2025 19:45 , Jane DaltonAmong the injured are many employees of the Munich city administration, Munich's deputy mayor Dominik Krause announced.
They are "people who make sure our city functions every day - whether in the daycare centres or rubbish collection", he said.
Several had their children with them, "which makes the act all the more heinous", he said.
Terror police probe Munich car attack that injured 28 – full report
Thursday 13 February 2025 19:25 , Jane Dalton
Terror police probe Munich car attack that injured 28 people when Mini rammed crowd
In pictures: Suspect's white Mini removed
Thursday 13 February 2025 18:58 , Jane Dalton
Prosecutors reveal suspect's identity
Thursday 13 February 2025 18:46 , Jane DaltonThe general prosecutor’s office in Munich has identified the suspect of the crowd ramming as Farhad Noori, according to the Reuters news agency.
Born in Kabul in 2001, he first arrived in Germany from Afghanistan at the end of 2016, Der Spiegel reported.
Bavarian interior minister Joachim Herrmann said the suspect had been known to police for drug and shoplifting offences.
His asylum application had been rejected, said Mr Herrmann, but he had not been forced to leave due to security concerns in Afghanistan.
Wounded child 'resuscitated at scene'
Thursday 13 February 2025 18:29 , Jane DaltonOne person, apparently a child, was resuscitated at the scene of the attack, according to one German news site.
BR24 said the driver sped into the group of people from behind at more than 50kmh – 31mph.
Tally of wounded rises to 30
Thursday 13 February 2025 18:28 , Jane DaltonPolice have updated the number of people injured to 30.
According to German media, at least 10 of them were seriously injured.
A child was reportedly resuscitated at the scene.
German media give suspect's first name
Thursday 13 February 2025 17:59 , Jane DaltonA German news site says the suspect arrived in the country from Afghanistan in 2016 and had hints of an ‘extremist background’:
All we know about Afghan asylum seeker arrested after car driven into a Munich crowd
Police search suspect's apartment
Thursday 13 February 2025 17:42 , Jane DaltonDetectives investigating the attack have searched the suspect's apartment in Munich.
A German news agency said it was an apartment in a building in the upmarket Solln district.
When asked, the police and the public prosecutor's office did not immediately comment.
Two people fighting for life and 28 injured – full report
Thursday 13 February 2025 17:16 , Jane DaltonTwo people fighting for life and 28 injured as car drives into crowd Munich attack
Suspect known for drugs and shoplifting
Thursday 13 February 2025 16:55 , Jane DaltonThe suspect is known to police for drug and shoplifting offences, according to Bavarian interior minister Joachim Herrmann.
His asylum application had been rejected, said Mr Herrmann, but he had not been forced to leave due to security concerns in Afghanistan.
Immigration and security issues have dominated campaigning ahead of the February 23 election, especially after other violent incidents, with polls showing the centre-right conservatives leading, followed by the far right.
In December, six people were killed in an attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg, and last month a toddler and adult were killed in a knife attack in the Bavarian town of Aschaffenburg. Immigrants have been arrested over both attacks.
At least 28 people wounded, some seriously, say police
Thursday 13 February 2025 16:28 , Jane Dalton"We currently believe that we have at least 28 people injured, some of them seriously," said a police spokesperson.
Police said a white car had approached police vehicles that were accompanying a demonstration of striking workers, before speeding up and slamming into people.
One shot was fired at the suspect and it was unclear whether he was wounded, police added.
Officers detained the 24-year-old driver. They said his motive was unclear.
"It was probably an attack," Bavaria state premier Markus Soeder told reporters.
Security heavy for international conference in city
Thursday 13 February 2025 16:06 , Jane DaltonSecurity in the Bavarian capital will be heavy in the coming days because the three-day Munich Security Conference, an annual gathering of international foreign and security policy officials, opens on Friday.
Bavaria's state interior minister, Joachim Herrmann, said authorities did not believe the car ramming was connected to the conference, but they still needed to determine the motive.
In pictures: The aftermath
Thursday 13 February 2025 15:53 , Jane Dalton
Suspect 'put Islamist posts on social media'
Thursday 13 February 2025 15:34 , Jane DaltonGerman news website Der Spiegel reports that the suspect is believed to have posted Islamist posts on social media before the attack.
And according to the Munich public prosecutor's office, the suspect has at least “indications of an extremist background”, another German news site reports.
A spokesman told Zeit Online that the Bavarian Central Office for Extremism and Terrorism has taken over the investigation.
Street strewn with clothes and other belongings
Thursday 13 February 2025 15:20 , Jane DaltonThe street where the attack took place was strewn with items of clothing and bags, a shoe and a pair of glasses.
Police set up a gathering point for witnesses in the Loewenbraeukeller, one of Munich's oldest beer halls.
A passer-by who witnessed the incident from a window said the car, a white Mini Cooper, had threaded its way between police vehicles and then accelerated.
Frontrunner as chancellor calls for change on safety
Thursday 13 February 2025 15:06The frontrunner to be Germany's next chancellor said safety would be his top priority.
"We will enforce law and order. Everyone must feel safe in our country again. Something has to change in Germany," Conservative Friedrich Merz posted on social media.
Mr Merz has accused Social Democrat chancellor Olaf Scholz of being soft on immigration, and last month he even broke a taboo by winning a parliamentary vote on asylum with the support of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Furchtbare Nachrichten aus #München.
— Friedrich Merz (@_FriedrichMerz) February 13, 2025
Meine Gedanken sind bei den Opfern und ihren Familien. Ich hoffe, dass sie diese schwere Zeit überstehen und die nötige Kraft finden. Mein Dank gilt den Sicherheitskräften, die vor Ort Hilfe leisten. Die Sicherheit der Menschen in Deutschland…
What we know so far
Thursday 13 February 2025 14:55 , Jane Dalton· A car driven by an Afghan asylum-seeker ploughed into the back of striking workers
· Police fired a shot at the car, a white Mini, after it overtook a police vehicle and sped up to hit people. It was unclear whether the driver was wounded
· Some 28 people, including children, were injured, some seriously
· The 24-year-old suspect had had his asylum application rejected, a minister says
· The Bavarian Central Office for Combating Extremism and Terrorism is leading the investigation
· International leaders including US vice-president JD Vance and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky are due to in Munich for a security conference but it’s not known whether there is a link
Deporting suspect had been impossible, minister says
Thursday 13 February 2025 14:41 , Jane DaltonThe suspect's asylum application apparently had been rejected but it had not been possible to deport him, said Bavaria's state interior minister, Joachim Herrmann.
"This is more evidence that we can't go from attack to attack and show dismay, thank police for their deployment," said Bavarian governor Markus Soder.
"This is not the first such act ... We are determined that something must change in Germany, and quickly."
Alternative for Germany's co-leader, Alice Weidel, posted on social media: "Is this supposed to carry on forever? Migration turnaround now!"
Centre-left chancellor Olaf Scholz's government said it already had done a lot to reduce irregular migration, and that the opposition's plans were incompatible with German and European Union law.
'We actually have to change something' - Bavarian governor Markus Soder
Thursday 13 February 2025 14:06 , Alex RossToday’s case follows a series of attacks involving immigrants that have pushed migration to the forefront of the campaign for Germany's February 23 election.
Three weeks ago, a two-year-old boy and a man were killed in a knife attack in Aschaffenburg in which an Afghan national was named a suspect.
In the December Christmas market car ramming in Magdeburg, the suspect was a Saudi doctor who previously had come to various regional authorities' attention.
Curbing migration is a core issue for the far-right Alternative for Germany, which polls put in second place behind the conservatives.
Speaking after today’s incident, Bavarian governor Markus Soder told reporters: "This is more evidence that we can't go from attack to attack and show dismay, thank police for their deployment.
"We actually have to change something. This is not the first such act; so, we feel with the people today, but at the same time we are determined that something much change in Germany, and quickly."
Suspect must be punished and leave country, says Scholz
Thursday 13 February 2025 13:57 , Alex RossAs we’re reported, police in Germany say an Afghan asylum seeker was arrested after the car rammed into the crowd.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said the suspect in the case cannot hope for leniency.
"This perpetrator cannot hope for any leniency. He must be punished and he must leave the country," he said.
"If it was an attack, we must take consistent action against possible perpetrators with all means of justice.”
String of attacks raise demands for migration crackdown
Thursday 13 February 2025 13:56 , Jane DaltonThree weeks ago, a two-year-old boy and a man were killed in a knife attack in Aschaffenburg, also in Bavaria.
An Afghan whose asylum application was rejected was the suspect in that attack, which propelled migration to the centre of the German election campaign.
The Aschaffenburg attack followed knife attacks in Mannheim and in Solingen last year in which the suspects were immigrants from Afghanistan and Syria, respectively - in the latter case, also a rejected asylum-seeker who was supposed to have left the country.
In the December Christmas market car ramming in Magdeburg, the suspect was a Saudi doctor who previously had come to various regional authorities' attention.
Germany's main opposition conservative bloc has demanded a tougher approach to irregular migration, calling for many more people to be turned back at the country's borders and for an increase in deportations.
Curbing migration is also a core issue for the far-right Alternative for Germany.
Investigation being led by anti-terror police
Thursday 13 February 2025 12:52 , Alex RossWe’re now hearing more on the suspect, who deputy police chief Christian Huber earlier described as a 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker.
Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann has now said the suspect was known to the police.
"As things stand, the perpetrator has been caught with drugs and shoplifting, and further details are being investigated," he said.
Mr Herrmann does not believe there is a connection with the Munich Security Conference, which takes place on Friday and will see US Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky attend.
Mr Herrmann said: "The police's rapid intervention certainly prevented further danger and injuries from occurring.
"The exact circumstances are still the subject of investigations.”
Bavaria's State Minister Georg Eisenreich said the Bavarian Central Office for Combating Extremism and Terrorism was conducting the investigation.
Police confirm a shot was fired at vehicle
Thursday 13 February 2025 12:37 , Alex RossPolice in Munich have released information on the suspect and its response to the incident this morning.
In a run of posts on X, it said: “The suspect is a 24-year-old man of Afghan nationality.
“He drove a car into a gathering in the Seidlstrasse area from behind. According to current information, 28 people were injured, some seriously.
“During the arrest we fired a shot at the vehicle.”
Suspect is an Afghan asylum seeker, say authorities
Thursday 13 February 2025 12:31 , Alex RossAt the press conference earlier, more detail was given on the suspect driver of the vehicle that hit the crowd.
Authorities said it was believed to be an attack, and the suspect — an Afghan asylum-seeker — was arrested.
Officers arrested the suspect after firing a shot at the car, deputy police chief Christian Huber said. He added that at least 28 people were believed to be injured, some of them seriously.
A damaged Mini could be seen at the scene.
The suspect was a 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker, Huber said
."It is suspected to be an attack — a lot points to that," Bavarian governor Markus Soder also told reporters at the scene.
'It's just terrible' - Bavarian governor tells reporters
Thursday 13 February 2025 12:12 , Alex RossJust 30minutes ago, Bavarian governor Markus Söder addressed reporters on the incident.
He said it was being treated as a suspected attack.
Mr Söder said: "It's just terrible. It's just terrible, ladies and gentlemen, when you get this news: that a car has driven into a crowd of people, that there are many injured. It's a slap in the face. We sympathise with the victims, we pray for the victims. We really hope that they all make it.
"There are those that are severely injured and are wrestling with everything, perhaps even with death, to get through this and recover as soon as possible.
"We thank the police for acting swiftly and decisively."
'Thoughts with innocent victims' - trade union chairman
Thursday 13 February 2025 12:09 , Alex RossAs we’ve been reporting, the vehicle hit a crowd of people at rally organised by trade union Verdi.
We’ve just had a statement from the union’s chairman Frank Werneke.
He said: “We are deeply dismayed and shocked by the serious incident during a peaceful demonstration by ver.di colleagues.
“Our thoughts are with the innocent victims and injured as well as their families. It is not yet clear whether there are any fatalities. We would like to thank all of the helpers for their commitment.
“This is a difficult moment for all colleagues. We unions stand for solidarity, especially in such a dark hour.
“At the moment we do not have any reliable information about the background to the incident. We are not taking part in speculation and are waiting for the police to investigate.”
'Suddenly there was an engine roar behind us' - eyewitness says
Thursday 13 February 2025 11:41 , Alex RossLocal media are reporting on eyewitness accounts of what happened when the vehicle drove into the crowd of people in Munich.
Udo Kunte told Merkur, a local newspaper: “Suddenly there was an engine roar behind us, wheels spinning and then there was just a clattering.”
A spokesperson for the Verdi trade union, which organised a rally where the crash took place, told Spiegel news magazine: “The car drove into the Verdi demonstration.
“Whether it was intentional or an accident, we don’t know.”
Police inspect Mini Cooper at scene of crash
Thursday 13 February 2025 11:17 , Alex RossWe’re now receiving images from the scene showing police inspecting a white Mini Cooper at the scene.
The road in downtown Munich is cordoned off with the vehicle appearing to be the focus of attention.
A dog is also being used as part of the investigation.
