Munich car ramming attack by Afghan man heats migrant debate

On Thursday morning, a young man drove his car into a crowd of demonstrators in the center of Munich. The suspected perpetrator was named by police as 24-year-old Farhad N., an asylum-seeker from Afghanistan. He was arrested at the scene and, according to the investigating authorities, confessed to the crime. 

The Public Prosecutor General's Office in Munich stated that the suspected perpetrator appears to have been motivated by Islamism. After the attack, the man is said to have shouted "Allahu Akbar" ("God is great"), said Gabriele Tilmann, the senior public prosecutor.

She added, however, that there was no evidence to suggest that he was part of an Islamist network.

An investigation has been opened by the Central Office for Combating Extremism and Terrorism in Bavaria and a special commission.

A series of attacks in Germany has caused fear

Germany has seen a string of attacks on civilians: As recently as January 22, an Afghan who had been ordered to leave the country stabbed a group of children in a park in Aschaffenburg (also in Bavaria), killing a small boy and a man who had rushed to help. On December 20, a man with Saudi Arabian roots crashed a car into a Christmas market in Magdeburg (Saxony-Anhalt). He killed six people and injured hundreds more.

In an interview with DW, Stephan Grünewald, a psychologist and founder of the Rheingold Institute, spoke of the "massive insecurity" people feel as a result of such attacks.

"First knife attacks and now a car attack are leaving people feeling extremely unsafe, because they have the feeling that they are no longer safe in their normal environment and in their place of residence." Grünewald believes that many now feel that the state needs to "control and regulate" more. He thinks that a majority of citizens are in agreement that "private life should be much more strongly protected."

Political debate on migration reignited

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and many other politicians immediately responded to the attack in Munich. Migration has long been a central issue in the German parliamentary election campaign.

Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the perpetrator should not expect "any leniency." "He must be punished, and he must leave the country."

His rival in the Bundestag elections, Friedrich Merz, from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), was also quick to comment via X.

Something has to change in Germany, he announced: "People's safety will be our top priority. We will systematically uphold law and order."

It was only a short time ago that the CDU/CSU made headlines for cooperating with the right-wing extremist Alternative for Germany (AfD) for the first time in order to pass a motion about migration policy in the Bundestag.

This led to demonstrations throughout Germany against the CDU/CSU.

The AfD's lead candidate, Alice Weidel, called for a "migration revolution now!"

Warning against hate speech

Following the attack, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock from the Green Party cautioned against society being divided.

Considering both at home and abroad, she said, it is even more important "that those of us in this country who believe in democracy stand together. That we do not allow ourselves to be divided, neither by right-wing extremists nor by Islamists who are challenging the rule of law from within."

The Bavarian Refugee Council warned against hasty conclusions following the "tragic event." They warned that there is a danger that it could be misused to incite racism.

'Do not place under general suspicion'

In an interview with DW, Mohammad Imran Sediqi, chair of the Afghan cultural association Farhang in Munich, said: "This will certainly result in a harsher tone. The vast majority of Afghans detest such actions and are horrified by what has happened. It is inhumane."

Sediqi is in favor of deporting people who become criminals in Germany. "It's clear to me that people who would do something like that do not belong in this society." However, he warns against placing all people of Afghan origin in Germany under general suspicion.

The alleged perpetrator had not been ordered to leave the country

The 24-year-old suspect came to Germany from Afghanistan in 2016. His asylum application was rejected, but he was granted a residence permit in 2021. He completed an apprenticeship and was working as a store detective.

According to the current state of the investigation, stricter migration measures currently under discussion would not have been able to prevent the attack.

Immediately after the crime, Bavarian authorities initially falsely claimed that the suspect had been ordered to leave the country and had already been convicted of drug and theft offenses.

On social media, Farhad N. gave the impression that he was a well-integrated young man. He was a successful bodybuilder, and he had tens of thousands of followers on Instagram and TikTok.

This article was originally written in German.

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