Dozens injured in Munich car ramming 'attack' as city prepares for high-stakes security conference

Bavarian State Premier Markus Söder stated that the car ramming incident at a trade union demonstration in Munich on Thursday is "suspected to be an attack." Police reported that a car drove into a group of demonstrators, injuring at least 28 people, two of whom were seriously injured. The incident occurred just hours before world leaders were preparing to arrive in the southern German city for a high-level security conference.

Police Vice President Christian Huber said the suspect is a 24-year-old asylum seeker from Afghanistan. U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Zelensky, along with other diplomats, are scheduled to arrive in the city today to attend the Munich Security Conference tomorrow, with the conference venue located 1.5 kilometers from the incident site. According to Reuters, a spokesperson said authorities launched a large-scale operation near the central train station.

The incident took place near the center of Munich at approximately 10:30 a.m. (8:30 p.m. AEDT), and a damaged Mini car could be seen at the scene. Police stated that they have detained the driver, believing he no longer poses a threat, and posted related information on the X platform. Police spokesman Thomas Schierschhorn told CNN that police will investigate the suspect's asylum application progress.

"The perpetrator's motive for driving the vehicle into the crowd must now be clarified," he said, adding that police will conduct witness interviews and forensic investigations "to ultimately understand the reason behind this incident." Schierschhorn told CNN that some of the injured were "seriously" hurt. He stated, "When I speak of seriously injured people, it also includes those who fear whether they will survive." According to the Associated Press, Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said the man was known to officials for theft and drug offenses.

Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter stated that he was "very shocked" by the incident. He said that children were among the injured. Demonstrators from the service industry union ver.di were walking on a street near the center of Munich when a car overtook the police vehicle following the rally and accelerated into the rear of the group. Huber said police arrested the suspect after firing shots at the car. Germany's main public sector union, Verdi, said they had no further information about the incident.

According to the union, those participating in the picket line were employees of local childcare services, and the union organized the rally after wage negotiations for federal and local public services reached an impasse. A witness recalled that police fired shots at the car. "I saw a person lying under the car," the witness told German program BR24. "Then I tried to open the car door, but it was locked." Ultimately, the witness retreated and turned to helping the injured, BR24 reported.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was "shocked" by the "terrible attack" in Munich. He posted on the X platform: "Our thoughts are with the victims and their families. The perpetrator must feel the full force of the law." Security will be stepped up in the Bavarian capital in the coming days for the three-day Munich Security Conference, which opens tomorrow and is an annual gathering of international diplomatic and security policy officials.

Authorities stated that security measures had already been strengthened locally due to the conference, with at least 5,000 police officers on duty this weekend. Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann stated that authorities do not believe the car ramming incident is related to the conference, but they still need to determine the motive. Just yesterday, the Dresden prosecutor's office said that a German national had been detained on suspicion of planning a bomb attack on a temporary shelter in the eastern Brandenburg city. It is currently unclear whether the two incidents are related.

A series of attacks involving migrants in recent months has pushed the issue of immigration to the forefront of the campaign ahead of Germany's February 23 elections. Most recently, in a knife attack in Aschaffenburg, Bavaria, a two-year-old boy and another person were killed. _--Associated Press and CNN contributed to this report_