A man has gone on trial in Germany accused of driving his car into a crowd in the city of Munich last year, killing two people.
The 25-year-old man, named only as Farhad N, in accordance with German privacy laws, is an Afghan national.
Prosecutors said that on the morning of February 13, 2025, he deliberately drove his BMW Mini into a trade union demonstration in central Munich. About 1,400 people took part in the street rally.
A 37-year-old woman called Amel and her two-year-old daughter Hafsa died in hospital of their injuries shortly afterwards.
Among the 44 others injured, several suffered critical injuries.
Those who joined the union rally included city workers such as hospital and daycare workers who called for better wages. Amel himself worked as an engineer and came to Germany from Algeria at the age of four.
Farhad N was arraigned on Friday just a few hundred meters from the scene of the attack.
Federal prosecutors said they believe he “committed the crime out of an overwhelming religious motivation.
“He believed he was obligated to attack and kill randomly selected people in Germany in response to the suffering of Muslims in Islamic countries,” they said.
According to the investigators, the man shouted “Allahu Akbar” and prayed after doing the act.
He has also been accused of watching extremist preachers online. However, officials do not believe he is part of any jihadist movement such as the Islamic State.
At the start of the trial the defendant hid his face behind a red folder and raised his right index finger – a common gesture among Muslims around the world, symbolizing faith in one God.
His lawyer said his client would not comment on either the attack or his personal circumstances.
Officials said he arrived in Germany in 2016 as a teenager.
Germany took in more than a million asylum seekers in 2015-2016 at the height of Europe’s migrant crisis — an influx that has proven increasingly divisive and fueled the rise of the far-right AfD.
Farhad N came alone, without his family and, although his asylum request was rejected, he was not deported and was given temporary accommodation in Munich.
German authorities said he legally resided in Germany, had a work permit and had jobs working as a store security guard and for security companies.
Farhad N has no previous convictions. He is active on Instagram, where he posts about bodybuilding and religious themes.
He was arrested on the day of the Munich attack. The trial is expected to continue until June.