German court sentences suspect in deadly Munich car-ramming attack to life in prison

Emergency services attend the scene of a car-ramming attack in Munich, Germany, Feb. 13, 2025. AP-Yonhap

BERLIN — The suspect in a car-ramming attack in Munich last year that left two people dead and dozens injured was convicted on Thursday of charges including murder and sentenced to life in prison.

The 25-year-old Afghan, identified only as Farhad N. in line with German privacy rules, was arrested immediately after the Feb. 13, 2025 attack on a labor union demonstration.

It was one of a string of attacks involving immigrants over several months that pushed migration to the forefront of the campaign for Germany’s national election , which took place 10 days after the events in Munich.

The defendant was convicted of two counts of murder and 23 of attempted murder among other offenses, German news agency dpa reported. The court found that he carries “particularly serious” guilt, meaning that he likely won’t be eligible for release after 15 years as is usually the case in Germany.

The court found that he wanted to attack and kill arbitrarily chosen people in Germany as a reaction to the situation in Islamic countries and prove himself to be a “good Muslim,” dpa reported.

The car ramming fatally injured two people, a two-year-old girl and her 37-year-old mother. Forty-four other people suffered life-threatening or serious injuries, authorities have said.