An Afghanistan asylum seeker has been arrested following a “suspected attack” in Munich, according to police.
Around 10.30am today, a white Mini Cooper drove into a crowd with German authorities confirming that 28 people have been injured leaving some in critical condition.
The 24-year-old is believed to have accelerated into a group of demonstrators in the Bavarian capital. German news outlet Bild has reported the suspects name to be Farhad N. who was born in Kabul in 2001.
Swiss publication Blick also reports him being known to local police for drugs and theft.
The suspect’s asylum application claim was initially rejected by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees in 2016, Spiegel reports. He was later granted a temporary residency permit which suspended deportation.
Spiegel also reports that he “posted suspected Islamist posts” before the crime.
Mayor Dieter Reiter said in a statement: “The police chief has just informed me that a vehicle drove into a group of people and unfortunately many people were injured, including children. I am deeply shocked. My thoughts are with the injured.
“The police have arrested the driver of the vehicle, but the exact circumstances are currently unclear. I am of course still in close contact with the police chief and am on my way to get an idea of the situation on site.”
Munich Police have reassured locals on social media, stating that the driver was secured and “currently poses no further danger”.
A police spokesman explained how a police car was near the Verdi trade union rally before “a vehicle approached and came up behind the police vehicle. It then moved to overtake, accelerated and reached the end of the rally.”
One shot was fired at the vehicle and the authorities caught the attacker. Eyewitness reports suggest that a second person was in the vehicle at the time of the incident, but German police have said “based on our current knowledge, we cannot confirm this.”
The incident is the latest in a series of attacks where cars have been used as weapons against large crowds.
In December, a car drove into crowds at Magdeburg Christmas market killing 6 people and injuring at least 200.