A car plowed into a crowd of people in Munich and authorities now believe the incident was a deliberate attack. Bayern’s Minister-President, Markus Söder, commented to journalists, “It is likely that it was an attack – there are many indications of this and we will clarify all the details.”
Söder stated that the government reacts to each attack with composure, yet simultaneously, “our determination is growing.”
According to police reports, at least 28 people were injured, some of whom are in life-threatening condition. The suspect is a 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker.
Bayern’s Interior Minister, Joachim Hermann, does not believe the attack is connected to the Munich Security Conference, which is being held in the Bavarian capital over the weekend. “The motivation of this Afghan perpetrator must still be thoroughly investigated.” The suspect is known to the police for petty theft and drug-related offenses, the minister said in response to a journalist’s question.
Justice Minister Georg Eisenreich explained that the investigation would be taken over by the Central Office for Combating Extremism and Terrorism at the Munich General Public Prosecutor’s Office.