Munich mother and daughter dead after suspected car ramming attack
A 37-year-old woman from Munich who sustained severe injuries in a car ramming earlier this week has died, the Bavarian State Office of Criminal Investigation said on Saturday.
A 2-year-old, her daughter, died of injuries sustained in the attack, officials said shortly beforehand.
Police said at least 39 people were injured on Thursday when a 24-year-old Afghan drove his car into a demonstration organized by the verdi trade union.
The driver is in custody and investigations continue.
Tributes paid
Verdi boss Frank Werneke expressed his deep shock at the death of the mother and daughter. He said the woman was a colleague who joined the demonstration with her child. "The grief over the suffering of the victims of the Munich attack is almost immeasurable," he said.
Munich Lord Mayor Dieter Reiter said the woman was a municipal employee. "She and her daughter were murdered when she took to the streets for her trade union rights. The pain cannot be put into words," Reiter said.
Bavarian state premier Markus Söder took to X, saying, "All of this hurts so much and is so senseless. The whole of Bavaria is in mourning."
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the scene of the crime, laid a rose and demanded the toughest penalty for the attacker.
"Things like this should not happen," Scholz said. "Anyone who does something like this must expect the harshest penalties."
He said anyone who does not have a right of residence must leave the country at the end of their sentence.
Scholz also thanked rescue and emergency services staff.
"We must all stand together now and ensure that our country sticks together," he added.
Investigations continue
Investigators currently assume the offence had an Islamist background. The driver is in custody.
The suspect, an Afghan citizen, admitted during questioning to intentionally accelerating into the march, said Gabriele Tilmann, the chief public prosecutor for Munich's Central Office for Combating Extremism and Terrorism (ZET).
She cited police testimony that the driver shouted "Allahu Akbar" - Arabic for "God is greatest" - after the attack as evidence of a possible Islamist motive.
The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office took over the investigation on Friday evening. "It is suspected that the offence was religiously motivated and is to be understood as an attack on the free democratic basic order" of Germany, the authority said.
The man last resided in Germany legally. According to a court judgement against the rejection of his asylum application from October 2020, he is said to have lied about his escape story. But Munich city issued a toleration decision in 2021 and issued the man a residence permit.
A week before Germans are due to vote in snap national parlilamentary elections, lawmakers are divided over how to respond.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
German chancellor accuses Russia of "serious war crimes" amid latest attacks
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has accused Moscow of "serious war crimes" following the latest Russian large-scale attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. Source: German TV news service Tagesschau, as reported by European Pravda Details: Russia has "purposefully and ruthlessly" attacked the civilian population of Ukraine with numerous drones and cruise missiles in recent days, Merz said at a joint press conference with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof. The large-scale Russian attacks constitute "terror against civilians" and "by no means a proportionate response" to Ukraine's "very precise" attacks on Russian military airfields, the chancellor added. Background: On 10 June, Russia attacked Ukraine with 322 aerial assets. Ukraine's air defences managed to shoot down 284 of them. It was reported that a building near the EU Delegation to Ukraine had been damaged as a result of the Russian strikes on Kyiv. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has called for no delay in imposing powerful new sanctions against Russia following the large-scale airstrikes. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Austrian school shooter was 21-year-old former pupil, authorities say
The gunman who killed nine people at a secondary school in the Austrian city of Graz on Tuesday before taking his own life was a 21-year-old former pupil, Austrian authorities said. The man used a long gun and a handgun, law enforcement officials said at a press conference, adding that they are still investigating the motive. Both firearms were legally owned. Of the nine victims, six were female and three male, according to Interior Minister Gerhard Karner. Twelve people were injured, he said, some of them seriously. The minister said the perpetrator never graduated and that his motive was still being investigated. After carrying out the rampage, he died by suicide in a bathroom at the school. Chancellor Christian Stocker was on his way to the scene in Austria's second-largest city along with top officials as condolences and messages of support poured in from national and European leaders. "This horror cannot be put into words," President Alexander Van der Bellen wrote on X. "Austria is in mourning." Shots fired on Tuesday morning Police said the shots were fired at an upper secondary school around 10 am (0800 GMT), with special units quickly responding to the scene. Students at such schools are typically 14 years and older. The building was evacuated, with students and teachers escorted to a safe meeting place, and some 300 police officers were deployed. Parents and uninjured students were taken to nearby buildings and cared for by crisis intervention teams, the city said. Police wrote later on X there was "no further danger" and that the "situation is secure." A spokesman for the local Red Cross said more than 160 rescue workers were sent to the scene. Several rescue helicopters were also in operation, while a special emergency protocol was activated to ensure medical care for numerous injured individuals. European leaders 'horrified' by shooting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote in German on X: "The news from Graz hits home. My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and friends." "Schools are symbols of youth, hope, and the future," she added. "It is difficult to bear when schools become places of death and violence." European Council President António Costa said he was "horrified by the news of the school shooting in Graz." "A senseless act of violence in a place where children should feel safe and protected," he wrote on X. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Friedrich Merz also extended their condolences over the deadly shooting. "It was with great dismay and deep sadness that I learnt of the act of violence in Graz, in which so many innocent people lost their lives," Steinmeier wrote to his Austrian counterpart Alexander Van der Bellen. "Your German neighbours are with you in their hearts," Steinmeier said. Merz sent a message to Chancellor Stocker, saying he was "deeply shocked that young people were torn from their lives so abruptly." Three days of mourning to be announced Austria will observe three days of national mourning following the deadly shooting. A minute's silence will be observed across the country on Wednesday. Flags at the presidential office, the chancellery, and other official buildings are to be flown at half-mast during the mourning period. Graz, in south-eastern Austria, is home to around 300,000 people.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ten dead, several injured in Austrian school shooting, police say
Ten people were killed and "several" others seriously injured in a shooting at a secondary school in the Austrian city of Graz, police said on Tuesday. The suspected assailant was among the dead, the police posted on X. Authorities said earlier that they believed the Tuesday morning attack was carried out by a lone perpetrator. Chancellor Christian Stocker, along with other top officials, was on his way to the scene in Austria's second-largest city. Condolences and messages of support for the victims and first responders were pouring in. "This horror cannot be put into words," President Alexander Van der Bellen wrote on X. "Austria is in mourning." European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote in German on X: "The news from Graz hits home. My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and friends. Schools are symbols of youth, hope, and the future. It is difficult to bear when schools become places of death and violence."