Bavaria Governor Says Munich Car Incident Believed To Be 'An Attack'

Berlin: Bavaria's governor said the incident in which a driver drove into a union demonstration in Munich on Thursday appears to have been an attack.

Police reported that at least 28 people were injured, and the suspect is believed to be a 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker.

Bavarian governor Markus Soder said that “it is suspected to be an attack.” Police said on social platform X that the driver was “secured” at the scene and no longer poses any danger. A damaged Mini could be seen at the scene, along with debris including shoes.

Mayor Dieter Reiter said he was “deeply shocked” by the incident. He said that children were among those injured.

A demonstration by the service workers' union ver.di was taking place at the time of the incident. It was not immediately clear whether demonstrators were among the injured.

The Bavarian capital will see heavy security in the coming days because the three-day Munich Security Conference, an annual gathering of international foreign and security policy officials, opens on Friday.

In a post on X, police said that the driver was “secured” at the scene and no longer poses any danger.

Authorities didn't immediately give a specific number of injuries or provide details about the incident, including whether the people were hit deliberately.

People who were hurt were apparently participating in a strike, according to regional public broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk.

(with agency inputs)