Latest news with #Tilmann
Russia Today
16-02-2025
- Russia Today
Mother and child die after Munich ‘extremist attack'
A 37-year-old woman and her 2-year-old daughter have died from injuries sustained in a car-ramming attack in Munich, authorities confirmed on Saturday. The victims were among at least 39 people injured when a vehicle, driven by a 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker, plowed into a labor union demonstration. The incident occurred on Thursday, just ahead of the Munich Security Conference. The suspect, identified by local media as Farhad N., was arrested on 36 counts of attempted murder, grievous bodily harm, and reckless driving. 'Unfortunately, we have to confirm the deaths today of the two-year-old child and her 37-year-old mother,' police spokesman Ludwig Waldinger told AFP on Saturday. During interrogation, the suspect allegedly admitted to deliberately driving into the crowd. According to senior public prosecutor Gabriele Tilmann, the suspect acted for 'religious reasons,' and authorities are treating the incident as an extremism-motivated attack. READ MORE: Car rams into crowd at rally in Germany 'We don't want to jump to any conclusions, but given what has happened, we assume this was an Islamic extremist attack,' Tilmann told a press conference on Friday, adding that the suspect shouted 'Allahu Akbar' (God is great in Arabic) when he was detained. 'I can't say more about it, but his statements suggest a religious motive.' Tilmann said there is no evidence so far that the suspect was affiliated with any terrorist organization or had accomplices. A search of his apartment did not reveal any indication that he specifically targeted the union rally or that the attack was linked to the security conference, held less than two kilometers away. The suspect had legal residency in Germany after arriving in 2016 as an unaccompanied minor. Munich police stated that he had no prior convictions and was only known to authorities 'from investigations in which he was a witness.' In a similar attack in December, a 50-year-old Saudi doctor drove his car into a Christmas market crowd in Magdeburg, killing five and injuring over 200. The Munich attack marks the fifth incident involving immigrants in Germany over the past nine months, according to AP, further fueling debate on migration policies ahead of the federal election on February 23. READ MORE: A Syrian national has been detained by police after stabbing at least five in Austria Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the attack scene on Saturday, placing a white rose at an improvised memorial. He condemned the act, stating that the perpetrator 'must be punished and must leave the country.' In a separate incident on Saturday, a 14-year-old boy was fatally stabbed in Villach, Austria, by a 23-year-old Syrian asylum seeker with legal residency. 'I am angry – angry at those politicians who have allowed stabbings, rapes, gang wars, and other capital crimes to become the order of the day in Austria,' said right-wing leader Herbert Kickl, whose Freedom Party of Austria (FPO) won 28% of the vote in September's elections but has so far failed to form a coalition government.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Yahoo
Mother and 2-year-old daughter die days after Munich ramming attack, police say
A 37-year-old woman and her 2-year-old daughter died from their injuries two days after a car intentionally plowed into a crowd in Munich, German police said. A police spokesman said the mother and daughter died Saturday afternoon. Their names have not been released. The attack, which took place Thursday during a trade union demonstration, injured dozens of people between the ages of 2 to 60, with eight seriously hurt, police said earlier in the week. The suspect, who drove a white vehicle into the crowd of thousands of people, was arrested on 36 counts of attempted murder, as well as grievous bodily harm and reckless driving. Authorities said the attack is being treated as an act of Islamic extremism, though they emphasized that it is not connected to a nearby major security conference featuring world and defense leaders, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, where the main topic of discussion has been the war in Ukraine. The suspect, a 24-year-old Afghan national who has not been identified, said in a police interview that he purposely drove into the crowd, Gabriele Tilmann, a senior public prosecutor, said at a news conference. The suspect's reason 'could be summarized as a religious reason,' Tilmann said. 'I can't say more about it, but what he said would lead us to conclude that it was a religious motive,' she said. 'We don't want to jump to any conclusions, but given what has happened, we would assume this was an Islamic extremist attack,' she continued, adding that the suspect prayed after his arrest. Tilmann said there is no evidence so far to suggest the suspect was part of any Islamist organizations or was working with any accomplices. A search of his apartment did not turn up any evidence linked to the attack, according to authorities. Police said the suspect was an asylum seeker with legal right to remain in Germany. He lives in Munich and came to the country in 2016 as an unaccompanied minor, police said. He was known to authorities 'from investigations in which he was a witness due to his previous work' as a store detective, Munich police have said. He did not have any prior convictions. This article was originally published on
NBC News
15-02-2025
- NBC News
Mother and 2-year-old daughter die days after Munich ramming attack, police say
A 37-year-old woman and her 2-year-old daughter died from their injuries two days after a car intentionally plowed into a crowd in Munich, German police said. A police spokesman said the mother and daughter died Saturday afternoon. At least 37 people were injured in the attack on Thursday. Their names have not been released. The attack happened the day before a major security conference featuring world and defense leaders was set to begin. Authorities said the attack was intentional and is being treated as Islamic extremism. The suspect, a 24-year-old Afghan national who has not been identified, said in a police interview that he purposely drove into the crowd, Gabriele Tilmann, a senior public prosecutor, said at a news conference. The suspect's reason 'could be summarized as a religious reason,' Tilmann said. 'I can't say more about it, but what he said would lead us to conclude that it was a religious motive,' she said. 'We don't want to jump to any conclusions, but given what has happened, we would assume this was an Islamic extremist attack,' she continued, adding that the suspect prayed after his arrest. He was charged with 36 counts of attempted murder, as well as grievous bodily harm and reckless driving.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Yahoo
Suspect in Munich car attack had 'Islamist motivation,' prosecutor says
The suspect accused of injuring more than 30 people in a car ramming attack in Munich, Germany, appears to have been motivated by Islamic extremism, prosecutors revealed Friday. The 24-year-old Afghan, a self-described bodybuilder and fitness model, was arrested Thursday after he drove his Mini Cooper into the back of a labor union demonstration. The incident unfolded near where world leaders — including Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — were expected to gather for the Munich Security Conference. Prosecutor Gabriele Tilmann said that the suspect said "Allahu Akbar," or "God is great," to police and then prayed after his arrest -- which prompted a department that investigates extremism and terror to take on the case immediately. In questioning, he admitted deliberately driving into the demonstration and "gave an explanation that I would summarize as religious motivation," Tilmann said, according to the Associated Press. "According to all we know at the moment, I would venture to speak of an Islamist motivation." Car Driver In Munich Plows Into Crowd However, there were no indications the suspect was in any Islamic extremist organization, she reportedly added. Read On The Fox News App Tilmann also announced Friday that the suspect, who arrived in Germany as an asylum-seeker in 2016 and lived in Munich, posted content with religious references — such as "Allah, protect us always" — on social media. The attack left 36 people injured, and the suspect is now facing 36 counts of attempted murder as well as bodily harm and dangerous interference with road traffic. Plane Carrying Secretary Of State Rubio Resumes Flight To Munich After Mechanical Issue The deputy head of Bavaria's state criminal police office, Guido Limmer, said investigators found a chat, apparently with relatives, in which the suspect wrote "perhaps I won't be there anymore tomorrow," but so far they have found nothing that points to concrete preparations for the attack or anyone else being involved. The man had no previous convictions and had a valid residence permit. Tilmann also said there was no indication of mental illness. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier reportedly laid a flower at the attack scene Friday morning, where he condemned "the brutality of this act" and said that it "leaves us stunned." A spokesperson for the vice president told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that Vance and President Zelenskyy will meet on the sidelines of the conference, where the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war is likely to be a focus. Fox News' Rachel Wolf and Morgan Phillips contributed to this article source: Suspect in Munich car attack had 'Islamist motivation,' prosecutor says
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Yahoo
Islamist motive suspected after Munich car ramming
Police believe an Afghan man suspected of driving a car into a group of people in Munich may have had Islamist extremist motives, authorities said Friday as German leaders paid tribute to the dozens wounded in the attack. The carnage on Thursday came on the eve of an international security conference in the Bavarian city, and shortly before Germans head to the polls for a February 23 election where immigration is a key issue following a spate of attacks blamed on migrants. Initial assessments of evidence seized from electronic devices belonging to the suspect showed a "certain Islamist orientation", police spokesman Guido Limmer told reporters. After the incident, the suspect uttered the words "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) to police officers and also prayed after his arrest, prosecutor Gabriele Tilmann added. The 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker, identified by German media as Farhad N., is accused of deliberately driving a Mini Cooper into a trade union demonstration in Munich. A total of 39 people were wounded in the incident, according to police. Two are in a critical condition, including a child, and a further eight are in a serious condition, Limmer said. Tilmann said the suspect had confessed to deliberately ramming the car into the crowd, citing "what I would summarise as a religious motivation". - 'Very religious' - Farhad N. was living in Germany legally, worked in security and was also heavily involved in fitness and bodybuilding, Tilmann said. He was "very religious and also displayed this outwardly", regularly attending a mosque and making online "posts with religious references", she added. However, "we have no evidence to suggest that the accused is involved in any Islamist organisation such as Islamic State", Tilmann said. Initial investigations had also turned up "no evidence that he had mental health issues that could have had any impact on the crime", she said. The suspect was remanded in custody on Friday and has been transferred to a prison, prosecutors said. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and several regional leaders visited the scene on Friday morning, all laying flowers. "The brutality of this act has left us deeply disturbed and bewildered," Steinmeier said in a statement, noting that it appeared the suspect had "wanted to kill and injure people indiscriminately". "The perpetrator is in custody and will be brought to justice in accordance with the law," he said. The suspect was said to have arrived in Germany in 2016 at the height of the mass migrant influx to Europe. - Tougher rules - His asylum request was rejected by German authorities but he found work and was able to remain legally in the country, according to officials. Germans are already locked in heated debates around immigration and security after a string of similar incidents, most recently in the Bavarian city of Aschaffenburg last month. Two people, including a two-year-old boy, were killed in a knife attack on a kindergarten group, with police arresting a 28-year-old Afghan man with a history of mental illness. In December, six people were killed after a car ploughed into a Christmas market in the eastern city of Magdeburg, wounding hundreds. A Saudi man was arrested for that attack, with officials saying he also appeared to be mentally disturbed. The conservative CDU/CSU alliance, which polls suggest is on track to win this month's election, has called for tougher curbs on immigration after the recent attacks. Under pressure even before the election was called, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government had moved to make asylum rules stricter and speed up deportations, including to Afghanistan. fec/sr/jxb
