Suspected car attack injures 28 in Munich, Afghan man in custody

A 24-YEAR-OLD Afghan asylum seeker was arrested after a suspected car-ramming attack injured at least 28 people in Munich, Germany, on Thursday, police said.

The incident took place near the city centre when a car drove into a demonstration of striking workers from the Verdi trade union.

Police officers fired at the vehicle before arresting the driver, said Christian Huber, deputy head of Munich police.

A fire service spokesman told AFP that several of the injured were in serious condition, with some in life-threatening condition.

Bavaria’s state premier Markus Söder described the incident as "just terrible" and said it "looks like this was an attack." He added, "This is not the first incident... we must show determination that something will change in Germany. This is further proof that we can't keep going from attack to attack."

Söder’s Bavarian CSU party and its national counterpart, the CDU, have called for stricter migration policies following a series of similar incidents.

Eyewitness accounts

Items including glasses, shoes, thermal blankets, and a pushchair were scattered at the scene.

Eyewitness Alexa Graef said she saw the car drive into the crowd in what "looked deliberate." "I hope it's the last time I see anything like that," she said.

Another eyewitness from the protest told local news website BR42 that he saw "a person lying under the car" after it struck the crowd.

Verdi union president Frank Werneke said in a statement: "We are deeply upset and shocked at the awful incident during a peaceful demonstration by our Verdi colleagues."Security concerns ahead of Munich conference

The attack happened a day before the high-profile Munich Security Conference, where US vice president JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are expected to attend.

The incident also comes amid an ongoing debate on immigration after several similar attacks in Germany.

Last month, two people, including a two-year-old child, were killed in a knife attack in Aschaffenburg, Bavaria. A 28-year-old Afghan man with a history of mental illness was arrested.

In December, six people died and hundreds were injured when a car drove into a Christmas market in Magdeburg. A Saudi national was arrested, with interior minister Nancy Faeser stating that he appeared to be mentally disturbed.

(With inputs from AFP)