Munich car attacker sentenced to life in prison for killing two

A German court has sentenced a 25-year-old Afghan man to life in prison for a deadly car ramming attack in Munich in 2025. The assault, which targeted a union procession, resulted in two fatalities and approximately forty injuries.

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It was like bowling: people were thrown left and right.

The Munich Higher Regional Court found Fahrad N., identified only by his first name, guilty of two counts of murder and 23 counts of attempted murder. The court cited the "particular gravity" of his crime, a designation that significantly complicates any possibility of early release beyond the mandatory 15-year minimum.

During the trial, the judge stated his conviction that the man intentionally drove his car into the rear of the procession. Prosecutors described the scene as a "real field of ruins." The defense had argued for a 15-year sentence and psychiatric treatment, but the court's verdict included more charges than initially brought by the federal prosecution.

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The act of this Munich resident was 'oriented towards the destruction of human lives'.

The attack occurred on February 13, 2025, as approximately 1,400 people marched in the city center. Fahrad N. drove his BMW Mini into the crowd after overtaking police escorting the procession. Witnesses described the scene as chaotic, with people being thrown aside. Authorities quickly identified the suspect's actions as having "Islamist orientation" and "religious motivation," noting he shouted "Allahu Akbar" upon arrest. The accused, who arrived in Germany at age 15 as an unaccompanied minor, had been considered well-integrated until his radicalization through online religious content.

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For me, there was a life before the attack and another after.