An Afghan man will go on trial in Germany on Friday, January 16th—accused of a deadly car-ramming attack in Munich that claimed the lives of a two-year-old girl and her mother and left dozens of people injured.
The suspect, partially identified as Farhad N., faces two charges of murder and 44 charges of attempted murder. Prosecutors say the attack was carried out with a “religious motivation” and that the accused expected to die during the assault.
The incident occurred on February 13th, 2025, when Farhad N., who was 24 years old at the time, deliberately drove his Mini Cooper into a trade union street rally attended by approximately 1,400 people in Munich. According to the charge sheet, the vehicle continued for 23 metres before coming to a halt “because its front wheels lost contact with the ground due to people lying in front of and underneath the car”.
A 37-year-old woman and her young daughter were thrown approximately 10 metres through the air. Both suffered severe head injuries and died several days later as a result of the attack.
Prosecutors have stated that Farhad N., who was born in Kabul, acted out of what they described as “excessive religious motivation.” They also said that after the rampage he uttered the words “Allahu Akbar,” meaning “God is the greatest.”
According to prosecutors, the accused believed he was obliged to attack and kill randomly selected people in Germany in response to the suffering of Muslims in Islamic countries.
