German Court Hands Afghan National Life Sentence Over Deadly Attack on Workers’ Rally
A German court has sentenced a 25-year-old Afghan national to life imprisonment for driving his car into a workers’ rally in Munich, an attack that claimed the lives of a woman and her young daughter while leaving more than 40 others injured.
The judgment was delivered on Thursday by the Munich Higher Regional Court after the defendant was convicted of two counts of murder and 23 counts of attempted murder.
The court also ruled that the crime was particularly grave, a legal classification that generally prevents parole after the usual 15-year minimum under German law.
According to prosecutors, the attack was motivated by extremist religious beliefs. They told the court that the defendant believed he was acting in response to what he considered the suffering of Muslims in several predominantly Islamic countries.
The deadly incident occurred in February 2025 during a demonstration organised by trade union members demanding better wages and improved working conditions.
Investigators said the man deliberately drove his vehicle into the gathering, killing a 37-year-old woman and her two-year-old daughter. Dozens of other participants suffered injuries, some of them severe.
The defendant admitted carrying out the attack shortly after he was taken into custody, a confession that formed part of the evidence presented during the trial.
With the life sentence now handed down, the case comes to a legal close while once again drawing attention to Germany’s continuing efforts to address violent extremism and protect the safety of people taking part in peaceful public demonstrations.
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