STUNNED: Markus Soeder, Prime Minister of Bavaria, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Dieter Reiter (SPD),Mayor of Munich, from right, bring flowers to the site where a car crashed into a Ver.di demonstration the day before
THE SUSPECT in the car-ramming attack on a trade union march in Munich that left more than 30 people injured appears to have had an Islamist motive, but there’s no evidence that he was involved with any radical network, authorities said yesterday.
The 24-year-old Afghan, who arrived in Germany as an asylum-seeker in 2016 and lived in the Bavarian city, was arrested after driving his Mini Cooper into the back of the demonstration on Thursday.
Police officers pulled him out of the car and arrested him after firing a shot at the vehicle, which didn’t hit the man.
Prosecutor Gabriele Tilmann said that the suspect had said “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) to police and then prayed after his arrest, which prompted a department that investigates extremism and terror to take on the case immediately.
In questioning, he admitted deliberately driving into the demonstration and “gave an explanation that I would summarise as religious motivation,” Ms Tilmann said.
She gave no details but added: “According to all we know at the moment, I would venture to speak of an Islamist motivation.”
The deputy head of Bavaria’s state criminal police office, Guido Limmer, said investigators had found a chat, apparently with relatives, in which the suspect wrote: “Perhaps I won’t be there anymore tomorrow,” but so far they have discovered nothing that points to concrete preparations for the attack or anyone else being involved.
The man has no previous convictions and has a valid residence permit, although his asylum application had been rejected.
He has been employed, including as a store detective. Ms Tilmann said there was no indication of mental illness.
Police said that they know of 36 people who were injured in the attack, two of them very seriously. Ms Tilmann said the suspect was under investigation on 36 counts of attempted murder, as well as bodily harm and dangerous interference with road traffic.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeie, who laid a flower at the scene yesterday morning, condemned “the brutality of this act” and said that it “leaves us stunned.”
