Germany: Afghan youth suspected of ramming car into trade union protest

Trade union protesters in southern Germany’s Munich were the victims of a car ramming into them on Thursday (February 13). At least 30 people have been reported injured with two of them being critically injured.

The car is a Mini Cooper and overtook a police vehicle before accelerating and ramming into the rally, according to witness testimonies. Police fired one shot at the suspect, unsure if it injured him, and swiftly arrested him, sending the injured union workers and children to hospitals for treatment.

Details of suspected attacker

A statement made to news agency dpa by Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Hermann said: “According to our current information the perpetrator’s presence [in Germany] was absolutely legal.” The suspected perpetrator has been identified as Farhad N.

According to Hermann, Farhad entered the country as a refugee in 2016 as an accompanied minor. His application filing for asylum was rejected in 2020 and overturned in Munich in April 2021, granting him residential rights in the country and granting him a residential permit months later. This information was confirmed by Munich Police.

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Farhad then completed his schooling and an apprenticeship, working as a store detective for two security firms. News reports have claimed that Farhad was the accused in the crimes he investigated and has a criminal record, but Hermann clarified that he was only there as a witness, not as a suspect.

Who are the injured

Those involved in the Verdi trade union rally included employees of hospitals, day care centres, sanitation facilities and public swimming pool centres. They had gathered to strike to demand for higher pay and longer holidays.

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According to the local outlet BR24 the injured are being treated at hospitals around Munich, including the Munich Red Cross clinic and a children’s hospital. Munich’s deputy mayor, Dominik Krause, told the outlet that some of the injured are employees of the Munich city administration. Krause further expressed that children brought to the rally being injured made this a more ‘heinous act’.

Responses by authorities

According to a Reuters report, Conservative Friedrich Merz, in the running to be the next chancellor, criticised the current German Chancellor, Social Democrat Olaf Scholz, of being soft on immigration policies. Merz took to social media calling for safety being a priority and calling for a change in Germany.

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Responding to the situation, Scholz said the suspect must be punished and made to leave the country, as per a translated Reuters report. He said that if this incident was an attack, ‘consistent action must be taken against possible perpetrators with all means of justice’.

Bavaria’s state premier said that the authorities are working to clarify all the details of the incident.