OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
10:41 AM – Thursday, February 13, 2025
A 24-year-old Afghan national drove his car through a large crowd in Munich on Thursday, injuring at least 28 people. German authorities described the incident as a “suspected attack,” noting that the suspect has “an extremist background.”
Advertisement
The event occurred the day before the start of a significant security conference that was attended by world leaders. Among those scheduled to speak at the conference is Vice President JD Vance.
“There was no protective impact to the VP but we are monitoring that incident closely and German authorities are still investigating a potential motive,” the U.S. Secret Service announced.
According to German authorities, a “major” police operation was launched after the 24-year-old Afghan’s vehicle struck a string of people in the city center at around 10:30 a.m. (4:30 a.m. ET).
The driver of the vehicle was “secured” and taken into custody after an officer shot at the vehicle.
According to police, the suspect, a Munich-based asylum seeker from Afghanistan, had a long history of drug and theft-related offenses.
The investigation has now been taken over by the Bavarian Central Office for Combating Extremism and Terrorism and the Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office due to “indications of an extremist background” in relation to the suspect — according to a police news release.
The vehicle involved in the incident was a “white Mini Cooper,” according to press photographs taken at the scene, and personal items such as shoes, glasses, and a stroller were scattered along the street.
Bavaria Governor Markus Söder acknowledged during a press conference that the incident is being investigated as a potential terrorist attack. Munich police reported earlier that at least two people out of the 28 had suffered significant injuries and may not survive. They have already been rushed to the hospital.
Additionally, according to Dieter Reiter, the mayor of Munich, young children were among those hurt — The Associated Press reported.
“This is simply terrible, ladies and gentlemen, when you receive the news, that once again someone rammed their car into a group of people. There are a lot of injured. It’s a slap in the face,” Söder stated.
“We sympathize with the people, but we also need the determination to change things in Germany and fast,” he vaguely added, without going into detail.
In December, another car being driven by a Muslim foreign national rammed into a throng of bystanders at an eastern German Christmas market — killing five people and injuring 200 more.
With a heavy police presence and strict security protocols, the Munich Security Conference, an annual gathering of politicians and defense leaders from across the world, is scheduled to start on Friday.
Social media users chimed in with their thoughts on the matter.
“Just ahead of JD Vance arriving in Munich to negotiate with Zelenski, an Afghan migrant suspect rammed a car through a crowd of people, injuring dozens, including children. This is the fifth mass attack in less than a year in Germany involving a migrant. Leftists there reject the call to deport migrants, saying it is fascist,” posted one X user.
On Friday, at the conference, Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will reportedly meet with U.S. allies to further discuss the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict.
“We do not know at the moment and do not assume that there is any connection with the security conference. But the motivation of this Afghan perpetrator must, of course, be investigated more closely,” Bavarian State Interior Minister Joachim Hermann stated.
The attack also comes 10 days before Germany’s federal elections.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
Advertisements below