A court in the German city of Munich has sentenced a 25-year-old Afghan national to life imprisonment for driving a vehicle into a crowd, an attack that resulted in the deaths of a mother and her two-year-old daughter and left dozens of others injured.
According to the court’s ruling, “Farhad N.” was found guilty of two counts of murder, 23 counts of attempted murder, and 22 counts of causing serious bodily harm. The judges also classified the case as involving “particularly severe criminal conduct,” a decision that could significantly restrict the possibility of his early release.
The attack took place on 13 February 2025 in Munich. The defendant drove his vehicle into a gathering of around 1,400 members of the trade union “ver.di.” As a result of the incident, a two-year-old child and her mother were killed, while 43 other people were injured.
The newspaper “Die Welt” reported that the verdict was issued by the Munich court on Thursday, 6 August. According to the report, the defendant carried out the attack after living in Germany for approximately 10 years.
According to Die Welt, the defendant repeatedly spoke during his detention about his desire for “martyrdom.” At the beginning of the court proceedings, as during his detention, he raised the index finger of his right hand a gesture that symbolises monotheism among many Muslims but has also been used as an ideological sign by some extremist Islamist groups.
Michael Höhn, the presiding judge, said during the sentencing that the defendant intended to target the largest possible number of people whom he considered “infidels.” According to the judge, the defendant justified his actions as a reaction to the situation of Muslims in some Islamic countries and believed the act was one that pleased God.
The judge also emphasised that the attack was deliberately planned with the aim of taking human lives, and that the available evidence indicated the defendant intended to carry out a deadly act.
Prosecutors in the case also stated that the attack was motivated by religious beliefs. They said that after driving into the crowd and causing the incident, the defendant shouted “Allahu Akbar.”
German judicial authorities have stated that investigations found no evidence of the defendant’s membership in any organised group or network. They said the motives and circumstances surrounding the attack were examined independently, and the findings of the investigation were presented to the court accordingly.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
