Munich crash LIVE: Dozens injured after car ploughs into protesters in suspected ram attack as police arrest Afghan asylum seeker

Olaf Scholz has now released a statement on his X describing the Munich crash as a ‘terrible attack’, adding the perpetrator must feel the full force of the law.

The German Chancellor tweeted:

A terrible attack in Munich shakes us. An Afghan perpetrator has driven into a demonstration. There are many injured, some very seriously. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families. The perpetrator must feel the full force of the rule of law.

It comes after Mr Scholz warned the perpetrator he cannot hope for leniency and must leave the country in remarks reported by German media.

US Vice President JD Vance has arrived in Munich ahead of a major security conference in the city starting tomorrow.

Holding hands with his son Vivek as he left the plane, Mr Vance will join world leaders including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Police have said today’s suspected ramming attack is not believed to be related to the conference.

If you’re just joining us this afternoon, we’ve been reporting live updates after a car ploughed into crowds of pedestrians in Munich this morning.

Here’s what you need to know as of 2pm:

• At least 28 people have been injured following a suspected attack which saw a man ram a Mini Cooper thorough a crowd of 1,000 protesters demanding higher pay
• It is understood that a mother pushing her child in a pram was among those wounded. The child’s life is said to be in danger, according to local reports
• The driver, a 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker, according to police, is believed to have accelerated into demonstrators. Bild has reported that that the suspect’s name is Farhad N., born in Kabul in 2001
• According to reports, he was already known to local police for drugs and theft, and drove at around 30mph into the crowd
• Bavarian governor Markus Söder told journalists ‘it is suspected to be an attack’ and comes just weeks after a car drove into a group of people at a Christmas market in the eastern German city of Magdeburg, leaving at least six dead and nearly 70 injured
• The incident comes as world defence leaders including US Vice-President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gather in the Bavarian city for a major security conference
• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that a man who drove a car into a crowd of people in Munich cannot hope for leniency and must leave the country

The Munich incident comes three weeks after a two-year-old boy and a man were killed in a knife attack in Aschaffenburg (pictured), also in Bavaria.

An Afghan whose asylum application was rejected was the suspect in that attack, which propelled migration to the centre of the German election campaign.

The Aschaffenburg attack followed knife attacks in Mannheim and in Solingen last year in which the suspects were immigrants from Afghanistan and Syria, respectively – in the latter case, also a rejected asylum-seeker who was supposed to have left the country.

In the December Christmas market car ramming in Magdeburg, the suspect was a Saudi doctor who previously had come to various regional authorities’ attention.

Germany’s main opposition conservative bloc, in which Mr Soder is a prominent figure, has demanded a tougher approach to irregular migration, calling for many more people to be turned back at the country’s borders and for an increase in deportations.

Curbing migration is also a core issue for the far-right Alternative for Germany, which polls put in second place behind the conservatives.

Centre-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government said it already has done a lot to reduce irregular migration, and that the opposition’s plans are incompatible with German and European Union law.

As Germany heads to the polls this month, many candidates hoping to become the country’s next Chancellor have released statements on social media following the crash in Munich.

Candidates have promised more deportations with migration among the top concerns of voters heading in to the election.

Let’s see what they have had to say.

• Alice Weidel, co-chairwoman of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD)

The driver of the terrorist attack in Munich was an Afghan asylum seeker known to the police. Once again, many people were seriously injured, and once again women and children were among the victims. My deepest sympathy goes out to the victims and their families. Is it going to continue like this forever? Migration change now!

• Robert Habeck, Germany’s Vice-Chancellor representing the Greens

Terrible news from Munich , I am appalled by this senseless act. My thoughts are first and foremost with the injured. I wish them a speedy recovery! Thank you to the police and all emergency services who are caring for and looking after the people on site. It is important that the background is now quickly clarified.

• Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union

Terrible news from Munich . My thoughts are with the victims and their families. I hope that they will get through this difficult time and find the strength they need. My thanks go to the security forces who are providing help on the ground. The safety of the people in Germany will be our top priority. We will consistently enforce law and order. Everyone must feel safe in our country again. Something must change in Germany.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that a man who drove a car into a crowd of people in Munich cannot hope for leniency and must leave the country, news outlet Focus reported on Thursday.

‘This perpetrator cannot hope for any leniency. He must be punished and he must leave the country,’ said Scholz according to the news outlet after some 28 people were injured when a 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker drove a car into a crowd.

If it was an attack, we must take consistent action against possible perpetrators with all means of justice.

Yesterday, Mr Scholz announced Germany will extend its strict border controls brought in to tackle migration and Islamist terrorism by a further six months past their planned expiry in March.

Terrorism experts have now taken over the investigation into the suspected attack in Munich, Bavarian state officials have confirmed.

Bavaria’s Minister of Justice Georg Eisenreich has announced investigators from the Bavarian Central Office for Extremism and Terrorism of the Attorney General’s Office will take the lead moving forwards.

It comes after Minister-President Markus Söder said the crash which has injured at least 28 people looked like an ‘attack’.

The 24-year-old Afghan arrested at the scene of a suspected attack in Munich is a rejected asylum seeker who posted Islamist content online, Der Spiegel has reported.

According to the German media outlet, the driver, whose first name is reported to be Farhad, was born in Kabul in 2001 and came to Germany at the end of 2016.

His asylum application was initially rejected by authorities but he was later granted a temporary permit to reside in the country meaning his deportation was suspended.

Der Spiegel reports the man is believed to have posted Islamist posts some time before today’s crash.

Here is our top story on the MailOnline website

At least 28 people have been left injured in Munich following a suspected attack which saw a man ram a Mini Cooper thorough a crowd of 1,000 strikers.

The driver, a 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker, according to police, is believed to have accelerated into demonstrators linked with the Verdi trade union on Seidlstrasse at around 10:30am.

At least 28 people have been left injured in the car smash, and it is understood that a mother pushing her child in a pram was among those wounded.

Here are the latest photographs from Munich as officials confirm they believe a car driven into a crowd of pedestrians was a suspected attack.

The incident comes amid an increased police presence in the German city ahead of the Munich Security Conference which starts tomorrow.

Bavaria’s Minister-President Markus Söder has said Germany needs to change following the suspected car attack in Munich earlier today.

Writing on X after visiting the crash scene for a press conference, Mr Söder said authorities will react ‘prudently’ and with determination.

It is simply terrible and hurts so much. A serious attack occurred in #München . An Afghan citizen drove a car into a crowd and injured many people, some very seriously. We feel for all the victims and pray for the injured and all their families.

Thank you to the emergency services for their quick and decisive intervention. One thing is clear: we always react prudently – but we are also determined. This is not the first attack of this kind. Sympathy and coming to terms with the past are important. But something fundamental has to change in Germany. #muc1302

Bavaria’s state officials have held a press conference at the scene of the suspected ram attack in Munich.

Minister-President Markus Söder (centre) was joined by interior minister Joachim Herrmann (left) to give an update on the incident in which a car was driven into crowds of people in the city.

• Mr Söder said the number of people injured had now risen to 28
• He told the press conference the driver appeared to have acted intentionally after the car sped up before hitting people protesting in the Verdi trade union demonstration
• Speaking to reporters, he said: ‘I must tell you it looks like this was an attack’
• He confirmed the driver is a 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker previously known to police in Germany for drug and shoplifting offences
• Police confirmed they fired a shot at the car before the driver was apprehended
• The attack comes amid heightened police presence in Munich where a major security conference attended by world leaders begins tomorrow

Police have now confirmed a shot was fired at the Mini Cooper during the suspected attack.

Earlier, we reported how German media had heard from eyewitnesses who claimed shots were aimed at the vehicle before the driver was apprehended.

In a series of posts on X, Munich Police said:

The suspect is a 24-year-old man of Afghan nationality. He drove a car into a gathering in the Seidlstrasse area from behind. According to current information, 28 people were injured, some seriously. During the arrest we fired a shot at the vehicle.

We can now show our first footage from Munich.

Police have launched a major operation in the city after dozens of people were injured when a car was driven into crowds earlier this morning.

The video shows clothes and debris strewn on the street as officers investigate a white coloured Mini Cooper at the centre of the incident.

Bavaria’s Minister-President Markus Söder has confirmed at least 28 people have been injured in the Munich car crash which he added was presumably an attack.

The minister also confirmed the suspect was known to police in relation to drug and theft incidents.

Speaking at a press conference Markus Söder said:

The attack shows that I have to change something in Germany – and quickly.

Police have confirmed the driver is a 24-year-old Afghan national.

The asylum seeker was apparently previously known to police for drug and shoplifting offences.

The head of the Verdi union has told Bild she heard the car drove into crowds of protesters ‘on purpose’.

Claudia Weber, who was in Munich but waiting for the demonstration at Königsplatz, said:

It’s all so unbelievable. We are totally shocked and are incredibly afraid for our colleagues who were part of the demonstration. We heard that the car drove straight into the demonstration on purpose. Hopefully there will be no deaths.

The newspaper reported workers at the city’s hospitals, leisure centres and nurseries were among those demanding a pay increase as part of the demonstration earlier today.

A major police operation is taking place in the German city of Munich this morning after a car rammed into crowds of pedestrians to leave at least 20 people injured.

As we report live updates from this breaking news story, here’s what we know so far:

• A driver of a white Mini Cooper drove into crowds of pedestrians demonstrating in Munich for increased pay amid reports more than 1,000 people attended the rally organised by the Verdi union
• The male motorist was arrested at the scene. German media reports state shots may have been fired by police before the man was apprehended while police are unable to confirm whether the man was alone at the time of the crash
• German police say at least 20 people have been injured, two seriously, while a fire chief has confirmed some are in a life-threatening condition
• Witnesses reported seeing a mother and her child under the car while a journalist reported people ‘shaking and crying’ on the ground
• The crash took place as people walked out of their jobs to demand higher pay and on the eve of the Munich security conference where US Vice-President JD Vance and Ukrainian President are expected to attend

These pictures show investigators examining the car which earlier rammed into crowds of demonstrators in Munich city centre.

Police officers and dogs have scoured the white coloured Mini Cooper as part of an investigation into the incident.

A German fire chief has confirmed some of those injured in the crash are in a critical condition.

Munich fire service spokesman Bernhard Peschke told AFP:

At the moment there are 20 injured, several of them seriously and some of them in a life-threatening condition.

Meanwhle police have now confirmed two people are seriously injured.

In a post on X, Munich Police said caring for the injured is the number priority.

The latest photographs we can show from Munich show multiple ambulances at the scene as a police cordon is put in place.

The cordon has been put in place around a white coloured Mini Cooper which was driven into crowds of pedestrians earlier this morning.

Police have confirmed at least 20 people have been injured.

We are starting to see the first witness accounts reported in the German media following the crash in Munich city centre

An eyewitness has told German newspaper Bild a mother and child were ‘apparently lying under the car’ while a protester told Bayerischer Rundfunk he saw a man underneath the vehicle.

German police have set up a witness collection point at Am Löwenbräukeller on Stiglmaierplatz.

Police in Munich have confirmed around 20 people have been injured as a result of the crash.

Authorities said rescue helicopters had been scrambled to the city with the severity of the injuries not known at this stage.

A German journalist who shared a pictured a picture of the crash on her X account has told how people were ‘crying and shaking’ on the ground following the crash.

Sandra Demmelhuber, a Bavarian-based reporter, said she saw a young man taken away by police as she shared an image of officers surrounding a white coloured Mini Cooper.

There was an incident in Munich at the Verdi rally. A car drove into the demonstration. A person was lying on the street and a young man was taken away by the police. People were sitting on the ground, crying and shaking. Details are still unclear.

The crash has taken place as world defence leaders including Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky gather in the Bavarian city for a major security conference.

In a statement, the Munich Security Conference has urged people to remain calm and follow instructions from local police.

Crowds of people were demonstrating in Munich at the time of the crash.

According to German newspaper Bild, many city employees had walked out today to demand an eight percent pay increase, higher bonuses and three additional days off.

The Verdi union had organised the protest.

Munich’s mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD) told BILD:

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.

Here are the latest photographs we can show you from Munich where a major police operation is under way after a car was driven into crowds of pedestrians.

We will bring you the latest developments on this breaking news story.

Police said on social platform X, formerly Twitter, that the driver was “secured” at the scene and no longer poses any danger.

Regional public broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk reported that the people who were hurt were apparently participating in a strike.

German media outlets have reported shots were fired during the incident but authorities are yet to confirm this.

Read our breaking news story on MailOnline after a car crashed into pedestrians in the heart of Munich.

German media are reporting at least 15 people have been injured,

Hello and welcome to our live coverage as a car has crashed into crowds of pedestrians in the German city of Munich.

At least 15 people are reported to be injured after a vehicle was driven into people in the centre of the Bavarian state capital.

Police have said the driver of vehicle has been secured at the scene and poses no further danger. Social media reports indicate the motorist may have been shot.

Stick with us for live updates on this breaking news story.