German police say driver detained at scene where around 1,000 people were holding strike rally. A man has driven a car into a group of people in Munich, injuring about 20 people, some of them critically, German police said. German media said the driver– who was detained at the scene – was a 26-year-old Afghan man, but this was not confirmed by police. Media images showed the vehicle was a Mini Cooper, and several bodies were lying on the ground. Police were not yet able to say whether the incident on Thursday morning was intentional.
“As reported, the secured person is the driver of the car,” police said on X. “Speculation is swirling about further people being involved. We cannot confirm that at this time.”. Munich-based Süddeutsche reported that one woman had died but authorities did not immediately comment. The mayor, Dieter Reiter, told Bild: “The police chief just informed me that a vehicle drove into a group of people and unfortunately many were injured, including children. I am deeply shocked. My thoughts are with those hurt.”.
Two months ago a car ramming at a Christmas market in the eastern German city of Magdeburg killed six people. Police arrested a Saudi man who had frequently expressed far-right sympathies on social media. The Munich incident occurred 10 days before the German general elections in a campaign dominated by concerns about public security and immigration. The crowd had gathered for a rally by the Verdi trade union during a strike by public sector workers in the southern city. Employees of daycare centres, hospitals, sanitation facilities and public swimming pools had joined the work stoppage calling for higher pay and longer holidays. More than 1,000 people were reportedly at the scene.
Sandra Demmelhuber, a journalist who was covering the strike, described shocked witnesses. “There is a person lying in the street and a young man was taken away by police,” she posted on X. “People are sitting crying and shaking on the ground. Details are still unclear.”. An unnamed demonstrator told the local public broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk: “I joined the protest march and saw a man lying under the car. I tried to open the door but it was locked.” He said police then arrived at the scene and shot at the car window.
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