Seriously injured child among 36 hurt after Munich car ramming attack

A child is among at least 36 who were injured after a car drove into a trade union demonstration on Wednesday in the city of Munich.

Police said Thursday that two of the victims were in critical condition, and eight seriously injured.

Public prosecutor Gabriele Tilmann said the suspect, a 24-year-old Afghanistan national, had confessed to driving into the crowd deliberately.

He added that authorities have reason to believe there was a “religious motivation” behind the attack, and it would be investigated by counter-terrorism police.

Bavarian Minister President Markus Söder, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the Mayor of Munich, along with members of the Ver.di union that was attacked on Thursday left flowers at a makeshift memorial created at the scene.

Memorial candles had messages written on them such as, “Together for democracy and human rights” and, “Do not use the attack for the election campaign.”

Managing Director at Ver.di Munich, Claudia Weber, told Euronews she was at the demonstration but did not witness the attack.

“We are all completely shocked and affected. It is so terrible that this has happened, and we have only one thought,” she said of the incident.

“Our thoughts are with our colleagues who are in the hospital, and we hope that they all recover. That is our only concern and our pain right now.”

The suspect arrived in Germany in 2016 as an asylum seeker.

Authorities said his application for asylum was rejected, but he was allowed to stay with a valid resident permit after he could not be deported due to security concerns in Afghanistan.

Politicians have reacted to the incident promising stricter immigration policies. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that those who committed serious crimes in the country, “must expect they will not be able to continue their stay in Germany.”