BERLIN (AP) — A vehicle struck a labor union demonstration in central Munich on Thursday, resulting in injuries to 30 individuals, including children, as reported by local authorities. Officials suspect that this incident was a deliberate attack.

The driver, identified as a 24-year-old Afghan asylum-seeker, has been taken into custody. This event adds to a troubling trend of attacks involving immigrants in recent months, which have intensified the focus on migration issues as Germany approaches its February 23 elections.

Participants of a demonstration organized by the service workers’ union ver.di were peacefully marching along a street around 10:30 a.m. when the suspect’s Mini Cooper sped past a police vehicle and crashed into the crowd from behind, according to police statements.

Deputy Police Chief Christian Huber informed the press that officers apprehended the suspect after firing a warning shot at the vehicle. Some passengers reported serious injuries. The damaged car, with a crumpled front and shattered windshield, was later removed from the scene, which was littered with personal items like shoes.

Authorities stated that the suspect, who lived in Munich and possessed a valid residence permit, was previously known to them due to prior investigations where he had served as a witness in his capacity as a store detective. Bavaria’s Interior Minister, Joachim Herrmann, noted that officials believed the attack may have been indiscriminate.

The state’s Justice Minister, Georg Eisenreich, confirmed that a prosecutors’ office specializing in extremism and terrorism was looking into the incident.

“We empathize with the victims and are praying for their swift recovery,” Bavarian Governor Markus Söder expressed during a press briefing near the incident site. “It strongly appears to be an attack,” he added.

Recent Attack Trends

This alarming incident follows a tragic event three weeks prior, where a young boy and a man were killed in a knife attack in Aschaffenburg, Bavaria, involving a suspect whose asylum application had been denied. This attack intensified debates on migration as a central issue in the upcoming election.

The Aschaffenburg attack was preceded by similar knife incidents in Mannheim and Solingen, with both attackers being immigrants originating from Afghanistan and Syria, respectively. The Solingen attack was also linked to a rejected asylum-seeker who was ordered to leave Germany.

In December, a similar car ramming occurred at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, where the suspect was a Saudi doctor previously flagged by various regional authorities.

Calls for Political Action

The main opposition group in Germany’s conservative bloc, of which Söder is a key member, has called for stricter measures against irregular migration, advocating for greater border enforcement and increased deportations. This has become a pivotal topic for the far-right Alternative for Germany, currently trailing the conservatives in polls.

“We cannot continue to react to these attacks with mere expressions of shock; we must initiate substantial changes in Germany,” Söder asserted. “We are committed to ensuring that this cycle of violence ends.”

Alternative for Germany’s co-leader, Alice Weidel, voiced concerns on social media, demanding immediate action to reverse migration policies.

Meanwhile, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left government stated that it has implemented numerous strategies to curtail irregular migration, arguing that opposition proposals conflict with existing German and EU regulations.

Scholz condemned the latest incident, labeling it a “horrific attack,” and emphasized that anyone committing crimes in Germany will face severe repercussions, including possible deportation.

He noted that his government had previously facilitated the return of convicted criminals to Afghanistan on a flight last August and is determined to continue this practice.

Herrmann remarked that the suspect’s asylum request appeared to have been denied, although efforts to deport him were unsuccessful.

In light of this incident, Munich will enhance security measures ahead of the upcoming three-day Munich Security Conference, an annual event for international leaders focused on foreign and security policy. Authorities currently do not believe there is a connection between the car ramming and the conference, although the motive remains under investigation.

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Stefanie Dazio contributed to this report from Berlin.