Afghan national who injured dozens in Munich attack likely had 'Islamist motivation': prosecutor

The Afghan asylum seeker who drove a automotive right into a union demonstration in Munich, Germany, reportedly mentioned the phrases “Allahu akbar” and prayed, in accordance with a prosecutor who believes the assault could have been pushed by an “Islamist” motive.

Farhad Noori, 24, admitted that he intentionally plowed right into a crowd of individuals gathered within the metropolis heart on Thursday and injured 36 individuals, in accordance with Reuters. 

The assault occurred hours earlier than U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived within the metropolis, however police don’t see a connection between the incident and the go to from the 2 political leaders.

The suspect is below investigation on 36 counts of tried homicide, in accordance with lead prosecutor Gabriele Tilmann.

Whereas there isn’t any proof on the time that Noori is affiliated with any Islamist or terrorist organizations, investigators are trying into his communications, equivalent to those in Dari. 

“He has admitted that he intentionally drove into the members of the demonstration,” Tilmann mentioned Friday. “I’m very cautious about making hasty judgments, however based mostly on all the pieces we all know in the mean time, I might enterprise to talk of an Islamist motivation for the crime.” 

In the course of the assault, police fired on Noori’s automotive however didn’t hit the suspect, as Reuters studies. Tilmann mentioned that the suspect reportedly uttered “Allahu akbar” and prayed in entrance of the police. 

German authorities confirmed that Noori was within the nation legally, had no prior convictions and was not due for deportation. The Afghan nationwide arrived in Germany as an unaccompanied minor in 2016. He labored as a loss prevention agent at a retailer earlier than the assault. 

The Munich incident highlights the continued immigration debate in Germany forward of the chancellor election this month. Each main events have promised to crack down on the difficulty in a roundabout way, in accordance with The New York Instances.

One of many events which have acquired consideration is the Various for Germany social gathering, which ranked second within the polls on the time of reporting. The opposite is the conservative Christian Democrats, projected to complete first.

Some observers imagine the AFD might see a rise in assist in gentle of the assault as voters turn into extra involved with immigration, the outlet notes. 

Allies of the Christian Democrats’ candidate for chancellor, Friedrich Merz, mentioned Thursday that he didn’t anticipate to lose supporters to AFD after the current incident.

The assault in Munich is one among a number of violent incidents to have occurred in Germany inside the previous few months. 

In December, a 50-year-old Saudi Arabian citizen drove right into a Christmas market within the central German metropolis of Magdeburg, killing six individuals and injuring dozens of others. The driving force first got here to Germany in 2006 and labored as a health care provider in a city 25 miles away from Magdeburg, in accordance with officers.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz acknowledged in an X put up on the time that his “ideas are with the victims and their households,” writing in German. 

“We stand by their facet and by the facet of the individuals of Magdeburg. My thanks go to the devoted rescue staff in these anxious hours,” Scholz added. 

In January, one other Afghan immigrant scheduled for deportation killed a younger youngster and an grownup in a knife assault in a Bavarian park. The migrant reportedly suffered from psychological sickness.