28 People Injured In German City Of Munich As Car Drives Into Crowd In “Suspected Attack”

At least 28 people have been injured after a car drove into a demonstration in Germany’s third biggest city of Munich on Thursday.

Local politician Markus Söder described the incident as a “suspected attack”.

Police, who were initially cautious about confirming whether it was a deliberate attack or an accident, said the drive was a 24-year-old asylum seeker from Afghanistan.

Munich is currently gearing up for the Munich Security Conference this weekend, which will host hundreds of international figures including Vice President JD Vance, who is due to have a high stakes meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

It also has coincided with the opening of the Berlin Film Festival gathering some 15,000 international cinema professionals over the coming days

While Berlin is some 313 miles (504 km) away, security – involving bag checks and road barriers – is expected to be tight around this evening’s opening ceremony

The incident is likely to enflame debate in Germany over its immigration policy in the lead up to general elections on February 23, in which the far-right, anti-immigrant AfD is polling strongly in certain parts of the country.

The incident comes just two months after an attack on a Christmas market in the city of Magdeburg in December, in which six people died and 300 were injured when a long-time Saudi-born resident and doctor drove his car into stall-holders and shoppers.