Suspected attack injures 28 in Munich after driver crashes car into protesters

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A motorist injured 28 people Thursday in Munich when he plowed into a crowd of union demonstrators who had gathered in the city center, German police said.

Munich police said on social media site X that they had detained the male driver, a 24-year-old man Afghan citizen, who was no longer considered a threat. The crash is believed to have been a deliberate attack, Markus Söder, Bavaria’s governor, said in a media briefing.

The crash occurred as the southern Germany city prepares for a top-level security conference due to be attended by U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will also be in attendance at the Munich Security Conference, which draws scores of foreign government officials to the city.

However, Bavaria's interior minister said he did not suspect a connection between the crash and the conference.

Munich police, who said they fired a shot at the vehicle, initially said at least 20 people were being treated for injuries after the crash, at least two of whom were seriously wounded.

Damaged Mini Cooper seen in photos after Munich crash

The crash happened before 11 a.m. local time Thursday morning, according to police. Photographs and videos from the crash site on Thursday showed a severely damaged light-colored Mini Cooper identified as the car that was driven into the crowd.

Police said a car approached police vehicles stopped for a demonstration before speeding up and hitting people, according to Reuters.

A heavy police and first-responder presence was reported at the crash site, as victims were treated at the scene and investigators worked to collect witness statements and video of the suspected attack.

Sandra Demmelhuber, a journalist for a Bavarian public broadcaster, documented the turbulent scene in-person on social media.

“There is a person lying on the street and a young man was led away by the police," Demmelhuber posted on X. "People sitting, crying and shaking on the ground.”

Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter told German newspaper Bild that “I am deeply shaken. My thoughts are with the injured.”

Demonstrators were German union members

The group of protesters were city workers who had gathered Thursday morning for a demonstration organized by Verdi, one of Germany’s largest unions.

Following the crash, Frank Werneke, the union's chairman, released a statement.

"We are deeply dismayed and shocked by the serious incident during a peaceful demonstration," Werneke said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with the innocent victims and injured people and their families ... This is a difficult moment for all colleagues. We unions stand for solidarity, especially in such a dark hour."

Crash comes ahead of Munich Security Conference

The crash occurred a day before the opening of the Munich Security Conference, which will take place at a venue less than a mile away.

The timing of the conference comes as President Donald Trump says he expects to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia in the near future to discuss an end to his nation's war on Ukraine. During the conference, Vance, who arrived Thursday with his family in Munich, and Rubio plan to meet Friday with Zelenskyy, the White House says.

"We were deeply saddened to learn that a tragic incident occurred this morning in the Munich city center," the Munich Security Conference said in a statement on its official X account. "Our thoughts are with the victims and their families."

New Year's Day attack in New Orleans

The suspected attack bears similarities to a fatal New Year's Day pickup truck attack in New Orleans.

Federal officials have accused Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, of driving a speeding pickup truck around a police barricade and slamming into a crowd on Bourbon Street before he died in a shootout with law enforcement. Fourteen people were killed in the attack and at least 57 others were injured, the FBI has said.

Jabbar, who was identified as an Army veteran and U.S.-born citizen from Texas, was also captured on surveillance footage placing homemade bombs hidden in coolers at two sites on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter, authorities said. The bombs did not detonate.

Authorities are still working to uncover Jabbar's motivation in the attack, which officials have said was inspired by the Islamic State militant group, known as ISIS.

Contributing: Francesca Chambers, Thao Nguyen, Presley Bo Tyler, Paste BN; Reuters

This article has been updated to add new information.

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for Paste BN. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com