Latest news with #CentralOfficeforCombatingExtremismandTerrorism
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Yahoo
Russian national who killed two Ukrainian soldiers in Germany sentenced to life imprisonment
A 58-year-old Russian national has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a Munich court for murdering two Ukrainian soldiers in Germany last year, German television news channel N-Tv reported on March 7. The court ruled that the severity of the crime makes the man unlikely to qualify for early release. The victims, aged 36 and 23, were being treated for war injuries in Murnau, Bavaria. The Russian man admitted to the killings, which happened after an argument about the war broke out at a bar between him and the two soldiers. Due to the argument, the Russian citizen felt "violated in his national pride," Deutsche Welle reported, citing the Central Office for Combating Extremism and Terrorism of the Munich Public Prosecutor. "Now, in a sober state, I deeply regret what happened," the 58-year-old suspect said at the start of his trial. There have been multiple instances of crimes against Ukrainian citizens abroad since the start of the full-scale invasion began in 2022. Two Ukrainian basketball players, aged 17 and 18, were killed in Germany on Feb. 2024 after being attacked with knives. In another incident also in early 2024, a 15-year-old Ukrainian boy received severe head injuries and was taken to the hospital after his attacker allegedly made xenophobic remarks before the attack. The boy survived the attack. Read also: Russian court sentences soldier for killing 4 other servicemen, Mediazona reports We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Yahoo
Munich suspect confessed to intentionally crashing into crowd
The 24-year-old suspect in Thursday's vehicle attack in Munich confessed to intentionally crashing his car into a trade union rally, and investigators believe he acted out of an "Islamist motive," a senior Munich public prosecutor said on Friday. The suspect, an Afghan citizen, admitted during questioning to intentionally accelerating into the march near Munich's Stiglmaierplatz, said Gabriele Tilmann, the chief public prosecutor for Munich's Central Office for Combating Extremism and Terrorism (ZET). During questioning, the man "cited a motivation that I would describe as a religious motivation," said Tilmann, although she declined to reveal any details of his comments to investigators. She said that the investigation so far has not uncovered any sign that he had any connection to known Islamist extremist groups. A preliminary search of his phone and social media accounts showed he was openly religious and suggested an Islamist motive behind the attack, Tilmann said. She said that he was particularly active on Instagram, where he posted about bodybuilding, athletics and also expressed his religious beliefs. Tilmann also cited the testimony of police officers that the driver had shouted "Allahu Akbar," or "God is greatest" in Arabic, after the attack as evidence of a possible Islamist motive. At least 36 people were injured in the attack, a senior Munich police official said at the Friday morning press conference. Two of the injured remain in life-threatening condition, including a young child. Contrary to claims made by Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann on Thursday, authorities made clear on Friday that the suspect was in Germany on a valid residence permit and did not have any previous criminal charges. Tilmann said he once failed to promptly report starting a new job to employment authorities who were handling his unemployment benefit claims, and so was briefly investigated for employment office fraud, but the proceedings were quickly dropped after he agreed to make payment.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Yahoo
Munich suspect confessed to deliberately ramming his car into crowd
The 24-year-old suspect in Thursday's vehicle attack in Munich confessed to intentionally crashing his car into a trade union rally, and investigators believe he acted out of an "Islamist motive," a senior Munich public prosecutor said on Friday. 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). During questioning, the man "cited a motivation that I would describe as a religious motivation," said Tilmann, although she declined to reveal any details of his comments to investigators. She said that the investigation so far has not uncovered any sign that he had any connection to known Islamist extremist groups. She emphasized that the investigation remains in its early stages, but as things stand at present, she was confident in assuming an Islamist background to the attack. A preliminary search of his phone and social media accounts showed he was openly religious, she said. He was particularly active on Instagram, where he posted about bodybuilding and athletics. Tilmann also cited the testimony of police officers that the driver had shouted "Allahu Akbar," or "God is greatest" in Arabic, after the attack as evidence of a possible Islamist motive. He was religious, prayed and regularly went to a Munich mosque which is not known for a radical or hard-line Islamist stance, according to the public prosecutor's office. At least 36 people were injured in the attack, a senior Munich police official said at the Friday press conference. Two of the injured remain in life-threatening condition, including a young child. A 2-year-old girl being treated at the Hauner Children's Hospital in Munich was in a critical condition in intensive care, a hospital spokesman had previously said. The oldest known victim is 60 years old, although authorities said more people injured in the attack might still come forward. The suspect is currently being investigated for 36 counts of attempted murder, Tilmann said. An investigating judge will decide whether to remand him in custody on Friday afternoon. When the suspect was arrested, a police officer also fired a shot at his car. "However, the perpetrator was not hit and was not injured by the shot," a police official said. The officers managed to pull the man out of the car, although he tried to accelerate again. Contrary to claims made by Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann on Thursday, authorities made clear on Friday that the suspect was in Germany on a valid residence permit and did not have any previous criminal charges. He arrived as a teenager in Germany in 2016 after briefly spending time in Italy. His asylum application rejected by German authorities, but he was subsequently issued a residency and work permit, Munich police and prosecutors said on Friday. He was employed as in retail security until recently, and had been repeatedly cited as a witness in shoplifting cases on behalf of the store, and had also initiated proceedings against suspected shoplifters, according to police. Herrmann said that the young man attended school, completed vocational training and had worked as a store detective for two security companies. "As far as we know at present, the perpetrator's residence was therefore absolutely legal," said Herrmann. Tilmann said he once failed to promptly report starting a new job to employment authorities who were handling his unemployment benefit claims, and so was briefly investigated for employment office fraud, but the proceedings were quickly dropped after he agreed to make payment. She also said there are no initial indications that the perpetrator is mentally ill or that mental problems contributed to the crime. The Mini Cooper that he used in the attack belonged to him, said Guido Limmer, the vice president of the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office. Munich authorities also vowed to further increase already tight security around the Munich Security Conference, a major gathering of global leaders and foreign policy experts at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in central Munich which began on Friday. The "deployment of forces' will be 'increased" during the Munich Security Conference, which runs until Sunday, said Munich Police Vice President Christian Huber. Police have also contacted organizers of scheduled protests around the conference to consider changing plans from marches to stationary rallies, since those are easier for police to secure and patrol, Huber said.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Yahoo
Russian man admits to killing two war-wounded Ukrainian soldiers in Germany
A Russian national accused of killing two war-wounded Ukrainian soldiers aged 23 and 36, has admitted to the crime in a German court, Deutsche Welle reported on Feb. 10. In April 2024, the suspect and two Ukrainian soldiers who were undergoing rehabilitation in Murnau, Germany, were drinking together in a bar, according to investigators. As a result of an argument about the Russian war in Ukraine, the Russian allegedly stabbed the two men. "Now, in a sober state, I deeply regret what happened," the 58-year-old suspect said at the start of his trial. Due to the argument, the Russian citizen felt "violated in his national pride," Deutsche Welle reported, citing the Central Office for Combating Extremism and Terrorism of the Munich Public Prosecutor. The suspect has been living in Germany since the early 1990s and is a "supporter of an exaggerated Russian nationalism" who "unreservedly advocates the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine," according to the indictment. On April 27, 2024, the two Ukrainians were found with stab wounds in a shopping center in Murnau. The 36-year-old man died from severe injuries at the scene, while the 23-year-old died in hospital the same evening. The suspect was also detained on April 27. The investigation did not rule out political motives for the crime. Read also: German court sentences killers of Ukrainian basketball players to 8.5-10 years We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Yahoo
Russian man admits deadly attack on Ukrainian soldiers in Germany
A Russian man on Monday admitted to stabbing two Ukrainian soldiers to death in southern Germany last year, while denying that the crime was linked to the war in Ukraine. "Now, in a sober state, I deeply regret what happened," the 58-year-old said via his lawyer on the first day of his trial at the Munich Regional Court. Due to the possible political background to the killings, the Central Office for Combating Extremism and Terrorism of the Munich Public Prosecutor's Office had taken over the investigation. However, according to the defendant, the incident in April 2024 was exclusively due to alcohol. The man was said to be acquainted with the two Ukrainian soldiers, who were recovering in Germany from injuries suffered due to the Russian invasion. The trio were drinking in a bar in the town of Murnau when an argument allegedly broke out over a bottle of vodka. The Russian, who has several previous convictions, said he subsequently returned to his apartment to get a knife in order to intimidate the soldiers, and insisted he had not intended to hurt or kill the pair. He said he "blew a fuse" after they made fun of him. Prosecutors allege the incident was directly linked to the conflict in Ukraine. The accused man felt "violated in his national pride" as a result of the dispute, the office said at the arraignment in October. "As a supporter of an exaggerated Russian nationalism, he unreservedly advocates the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine," the indictment against him said. The 57-year-old has been living in Germany since the early 1990s. The killings caused deep shock in the small community, which has a significant population of some 200 Ukrainians. Wounded soldiers are also treated in the town's clinic on a regular basis.
