Vehicle Attack in Munich Germany Injures Twenty-Eight

What Happened?

A car plowed into a crowded street in Munich, Germany injuring at least twenty-eight people, two of whom were in critical condition as of Thursday. 

Police in Munich have already categorized the incident as a probable vehicle attack and have detained the driver. According to Munich police the driver is an Afghan male whom they believe deliberately drove into the crowd to cause mass casualties.

The crowd had gathered to participate in a union strike, though thus far police have not given any indications they think the attack was strike related. 

Bavarian state minister Markus Soder characterized the incident as a “suspected attack. Much suggests that,” he added without providing any further details.

Why it Matters

The driver, who Munich police identified as a twenty-four year old Afghan asylum seeker, was immediately apprehended. In the past two decades, conflicts in the Middle East and central Asia have driven waves of migrants and asylum seekers towards Europe. 

The U.S. led war in Afghanistan and the Syrian civil war have been two of the largest sources of mass migration towards Europe. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 added another group, Ukrainians.

Vehicle attacks have been on the rise in the past several years not just in Europe but around the world. While firearms and explosives often require training and skill to use effectively, vehicles can be used as weapons by anyone with access to a car or truck with very little training required. 

For that reason, more individuals seeking to create mass casualties but who don’t have access to explosives or firearms have chosen vehicle attacks. Because vehicles are so common, malicious actors can hide in plain sight in ways they couldn’t with conventional weapons.

Attacks by migrants in European countries have been increasing tensions between citizens of those nations and the new arrivals. The surge in immigrants to Europe along with attacks like the Munich incident have fueled the rise of right-leaning political parties who seek to impose tough restrictions on immigration. 

While popular support for tough immigration policies were initially low in many European countries, such policies have grown in popularity in the last few years.

Germany had long been known for having relatively welcoming policies towards immigrants. But thanks to attacks like this one public opinion has begun to shift away from more friendly policies towards harsher restrictions. 

This most recent attack will likely continue to move German public opinion towards supporting tougher immigration policies.

How it Affects You

If tougher immigration policies in Europe help deter future attacks and lower migrant criminal activity, they will likely gain support in other places including the United States. 

Whether tougher immigration policies will work for Europe remains to be seen as large numbers of people from central Asia and the Middle East are likely to continue seeking refuge in European countries because of their higher standard of living.