A 37-year-old woman and her two-year-old daughter have died two days after they were injured in a car ramming in the southern German city of Munich, officials said on Saturday.
Authorities earlier said that at least 39 people were injured in the Thursday attack, in which a car rammed into a group carrying out a token strike by the trade union Verdi.
Authorities believe suspect had ‘Islamist motive’
Police said on Thursday that the suspected perpetrator, an Afghan citizen, was detained at the scene.
On Friday, German authorities said that they believed the suspect had an “Islamist motive,” while adding that there was no evidence that the incident was tied to any terrorist organizations.
The state of Bavaria’s interior minister, Joachim Hermann, said authorities did not believe there was any connection with the Munich Security Conference that hosts international leaders.
Hermann told the German DPA news agency that the suspect had a valid German residency and work permit and no criminal record.
The attack came ahead of February 23 elections where migration and security issues have been at the forefront of political campaigns.
Bavaria ‘in mourning’ — premier, Munich mayor
The mayor of Munich, Dieter Reiter, extended his condolences in a post on Instagram.
“My thoughts are with the family of those murdered and their friends and relatives,” he said, adding that the woman who had died was a municipal employee.
“She and her daughter were murdered as she took the streets for her union rights.”
In a video statement, he called for people commenting on the car ramming incident to express themselves “respectfully” and not to create “political propaganda” out of it.
In a post on the platform X, Bavarian Premier Markus Söder said that the whole state was mourning the two deaths.
“All of this is so painful and so senseless,” he said. “All of Bavaria is in mourning. Our thoughts are with the relatives — and we hope and pray for all the other injured.”
Edited by: Rana Taha
