At least 28 people were injured, two of them seriously, today when a driver drove his car into a group of people in Munich, German police said.
At a press conference, local authorities confirmed that the suspect is a 24-year-old asylum seeker from Afghanistan, and that they suspect the attack was deliberate, the Guardian reports.
The suspect is known to local police for drug-related and theft incidents, they added.
The BBC previously reported that the driver was detained at the scene after the incident.
Police have confirmed that officers responding to the scene of a car attack in Munich fired a shot at the vehicle.
The attack took place in the city center, in the area of the intersection of Dachauerstrasse and Seidlstrasse.
Deutsche Welle reports that a gathering was underway at the scene of the attack, Munich's Stieglmayerplatz, at around 10:30 a.m., and that several warning strikes are taking place in Munich this Thursday. Local media reports that the rally was being held at the site of the attack, linked to the Werd transport union.
Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter, from the SDP party, said that children were among the injured.
"I am deeply disturbed. My thoughts are with the injured," he told local media.
The leader of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, Alice Weidel, took the opportunity to address Germany's migration policy.
"My deepest condolences go out to the victims and their families. Will it be like this forever?" she asked on the X platform, calling for a "turning point" in the country's migration and asylum policy.
The AfD is currently in second place in the polls, with around 21 percent support, and the party's popularity continues to grow, poll results show, reports The Guardian.
The attack on IX was also condemned by German Vice Chancellor and Minister of Economy Robert Habek, from the Alliance 90/Greens party.
He stated that his thoughts were with the injured, thanked the police and added that "it is important that the background to this attack is now clarified quickly."
The attack came hours before world leaders, including Ukrainian President Zelensky and US Vice President JD Vance, were due to attend the Munich Security Conference on Friday.
Police have so far ruled out a connection between the attack and the conference.
The attack took place about a kilometer and a half from the location of the security conference, the BBC reports.
A police spokesman told local television station BR earlier that officers were checking whether there was a connection between the demonstrations and the attack.
The area has been blocked off, and people have been advised to avoid the area.
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