KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – German federal prosecutors have requested a life sentence for an Afghan national accused of deliberately driving a vehicle into a crowd during a rally in Munich, killing two people and injuring several others.
According to Deutsche Welle, a representative of Germany’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office told the Munich Higher Regional Court yesterday on Tuesday, July 28, that “it must be clearly stated that the attack was carried out with the aim of taking human lives.”
During a two-hour court hearing, prosecutors said there was “no doubt” that the defendant intentionally drove the vehicle into the crowd.
The attack took place in February last year during a public rally in Munich, where a mother and her young daughter were killed and several others were injured.
The suspect, a 25-year-old Afghan asylum seeker, is facing charges of two counts of murder, 22 counts of attempted murder, and 22 counts of causing serious bodily harm.
Prosecutors believe the attack was carried out as a “politically and religiously motivated act.” According to Deutsche Welle, prosecutors said the suspect believed the attack was carried out “in accordance with God’s will” and as a justified response to actions by the United States and other Western countries in Gaza and Afghanistan.
Prosecutors also said that the suspect’s personal emotions played a role in the attack, stating that he had directed his “anger, frustration, and bitterness” toward other people who had no connection to his personal circumstances.
The court is expected to announce its verdict on August 6.
Following this attack and several other incidents in Germany involving Afghan nationals, the German government changed its approach toward accepting Afghan migrants and resumed deportations of convicted Afghan asylum seekers to Afghanistan, which is currently under Taliban control.
German officials argued that individuals who commit serious crimes should not be allowed to remain in the country, while human rights organizations criticized the policy, warning that deportees could face persecution and other risks under Taliban rule. The debate has become a central issue in Germany’s immigration policy, balancing public security concerns with the country’s humanitarian and international legal obligations.
