It has been confirmed that the two most severely injured victims of the attack in Afghanistan were a mother and her two-year-old child, who are currently being treated in different Munich hospitals. The child’s condition remains precarious, as it had to be resuscitated at the scene of the attack.
Among the injured are many city of Munich employees, as the incident occurred during a strike demonstration by the Verdi trade union. “Among the victims are colleagues from various sectors, from street cleaning to municipal services” said Claudia Weber, the head of the Munich Verdi branch. The originally planned rally at the end of the demonstration was cancelled after the attack.
The Afghan perpetrator, Farhad N., 24, has been in Germany since 2016. Initially, he lived in a youth welfare institution. His asylum application was rejected in 2017, but as he could not be deported to Afghanistan, he was granted a tolerated stay. He is reportedly known to have lived on social welfare benefits, but was also involved in drug use and shoplifting, according to Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann.
Before the attack, he allegedly posted an Islamist message. No further leads are currently available. He drove a white Mini Cooper, passing a police vehicle before accelerating to over 50 km/h and driving into the end of the demonstration. He is said to have given the car more gas before the attack. As there was a high police presence in the area due to the demonstration, the car was stopped by a shot and the perpetrator was overpowered.
The Afghan cultural association in Munich has expressed its disgust at the attack.
“Such people do not belong in Germany” said the association’s chairman in a statement. “They are a danger to all of Germany and the Afghan community as well.”
It is not yet known where Farhad N. lived before moving to the Munich district of Laim, where he was last known to have resided. The demonstration was, according to Interior Minister Herrmann, a random target. Later in the day, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser is expected to visit Munich. Chancellor Olaf Scholz has already called for the perpetrator’s deportation, pending a court hearing, which could be as early as a year from now.