Afghan asylum seeker who drove into Munich crowd IS an Islamist, yelled 'Allahu Akbar' and even prayed after crashing into 36 people, leaving child, two, fighting for life, cops say as full details emerge.
The driver who injured at least 36 people by 'deliberately' ramming a car into a demonstration in Munich yesterday was an Islamist and yelled 'Allahu Akbar' after the horrifying attack, police said today as details of the attacker emerged.
Farhad N., a 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker, is due to appear before a judge this afternoon, a day after he drove a Mini Cooper into a crowd of around 1,000 striking unionists.
Gabriele Tilmann, the senior public prosecutor,
said that Farhad N. had confessed during an interrogation to deliberately driving into the demonstration. Police said that Farhad had an 'Islamist orientation' but was not affiliated with any Islamist groups.
The prosecutor said that he had prayed after driving his car into the crowd. A two-year-old child was left fighting for their life when the car hit a mother pushing a pram, local media reports.
'The suspect came to
Germany in 2016 as an unaccompanied minor and was here legally,' Tilmann said this morning. He was said to have lived in a rented apartment in Munich while working as a store detective. Farhad was born in Kabul in 2001, Bild reports.
Police are still working to uncover a motive for the attack on the Verdi labour union demonstration. Initial findings have not uncovered any evidence the suspect collaborated with anybody else.
'We will continue to investigate the perpetrator's personality,' Tilmann said, noting that Farhad would be questioned further following the initial two-hour interrogation. Bavarian police will also be sifting through the Farhad's phone communications.
Early analysis indicates he had pre-planned the attack; police uncovered in one chat with a relative that he had said: 'Tomorrow I won't be here anymore.'
According to German newspaper Spiegel, Farhad is said to have uploaded Islamist posts online before the crime.
Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said Farhad N.'s asylum application had been rejected in 2016, when he arrived in Germany.
However, he reportedly received a so-called toleration permit from the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, which meant that his deportation was suspended until 2023, when he got a residence and work permit until April 2025.
It is understood that Farhad N. worked for a security service and participated in bodybuilding competitions in his free time. He regularly shared pictures of his fitness journey with his more than 100,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok.
Farhad N. injured at least 36, including a two-year-old child, when he ploughed his Mini Cooper through a demonstration in Munich yesterday afternoon.
Footage from the scene captured the moment the driver was arrested, as cops swarmed the vehicle and pinned him to the ground.
Following the tragic incident, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said: 'This perpetrator cannot hope for any leniency. He must be punished and he must leave the country.'
He added: 'If this was an attack, we must take consistent action against possible perpetrators using all legal means at our disposal.'
Farhad N., a 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker, is due to appear before a judge this afternoon, a day after he drove a Mini Cooper into a crowd of around 1,000 unionists.
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