THE suspect behind the horror attack in Munich that injured at least 30 people when a car rammed into a crowed is a bodybuilder influencer who flashed his cash online.
More details about the life of Farhad N. are coming to light as he is being investigated by terror cops after allegedly ploughing into a group of demonstrators in the Bavarian capital on Thursday.
InstagramFarhad N., 24, is suspected of ploughing his Mini Cooper into the demonstration on Thursday, injuring at least 30 people including a two-year-old child[/caption]
InstagramHe has reportedly won regional bodybuilding championships and became an influencer on TikTok and Instagram[/caption]
Footage appears to show Farhad N. being arrested after the incident in Munich on Thursday
The 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker is said to have “sped up” in a Mini Cooper before hitting the crowd of 1,500 Verdi demonstrators, leaving a two-year-old in a critical condition and injuring many others.
He was arrested at the scene after cops shot at his vehicle.
Investigators have since revealed that there are “indications of an extremist background” as experts investigate if the attack was terror-related.
After attempting to claim asylum in Italy and having his application rejected, Farhad arrived alone in Germany in 2016 when he was 15-years-old.
He was taken in by the Inner Mission Children and Youth Services and applied for asylum in 2017 which was rejected as was his subsequent appeal.
Farhad N was later granted what’s called a toleration permit, which means his deportation was suspended, Spiegel claims, but he has been required to leave the country since autumn of 2020.
Prior to what officials have called a “suspected attack” Farhad built up a strong following on social media, regularly posing pictures of his body-builder physique and flashing his wealth.
According to Bild, he had won regional bodybuilding championships which saw him become something of a celebrity in the fitness world with 68,000 followers on Instagram and almost 33,000 on TikTok.
On both pages he would pose in front of designer stores and sports cars while showing off his expensive clothing.
It is not known where his money came from but according to Bild, he worked for a security service and had been a store detective.
XThe apparent moment cops overpower the man allegedly driving the Mini[/caption]
At least 30 people were injured, including children, after a Mini Cooper drove into a crowd in Munich
Avalon.redHorror images show the devastating impact of the crash[/caption]
APEmotional pictures show shoes, umbrellas and bags discarded on the floor[/caption]
Both accounts were deleted after the attack on Thursday.
He is alleged to have posted Islamist content on social media before the heinous incident.
The suspect has undergone two “security policy interviews” with immigration authorities and is not listed in the Joint Federal and State Counter-Terrorism Center, the news outlet has said.
On Thursday, cops searched an apartment building in the Solln district of Munich believed to belong to Farhad.
He is set to appear before a judge on Friday morning.
Police spokesperson Christian Huber, revealed the tragic details behind the incident.
He said that a police vehicle was near the back of the demonstration when a “vehicle approached and came up” behind it.
The car then “moved to overtake” and “accelerated” before colliding with demonstrators at the back of the 1,500-strong group.
AFPMunich’s Mayor Dieter Reiter, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Bavarian State Premier Markus Soeder pay their respects at the scene[/caption]
APFarhad is suspected of making Islamist social media posts before ploughing his car into the crowd[/caption]
Avalon.redTerror experts are investigating the incident[/caption]
GettyA view of the scene after the Mini ploughed into the demonstrators[/caption]
Witnesses said the impact sent terrified pedestrians fleeing for the cover of nearby shops and homes.
One eyewitness on the scene said the Mini hit a woman and child, explaining that they were “apparently lying under the car”.
Another who is a German journalist shared on social media that people were left in shock “crying and shaking” on the ground.
“A person was lying on the street and a young man was taken away by the police,” she said.
Shocking pictures show the devastation and panic caused by the image with a collapsed pram on the ground as well as shoes, umbrellas, and discarded bags.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the suspect cannot hope for leniency and must leave the country.
He also spoke more widely about immigration in Germany.
Scholz said: “It is very important for me to get the message across that anyone who commits crimes in Germany will not only be severely punished and sent to prison, they must also expect that they will not be able to continue their stay in Germany.”
He explained that this is “why” he got the government “to resume and carry out repatriations to Afghanistan, despite the lack of diplomatic relations”.
The Chancellor added: “We have already organised such a flight with criminals.
“We are also in the process of doing this in other cases. And not just once, but on an ongoing basis.
“This perpetrator cannot count on any leniency, he must be punished and he must leave the country.”
Recent German terror attacks
THE terrifying Munich incident comes after the country has seen a wave of recent attacks.
In late January a two-year-old boy and a man were killed in a stabbing in Aschaffenburg, also in Bavaria.
This attack is thought to have been carried out by another Afghan asylum seeker whose application to stay in the country had been rejected.
In December, 2024, six people were killed and over 200 injured when a car rammed into a crowded Christmas market in Magdeburg sparking far-right protests.
On Thursday as the incident in Munich unfolded, an Afghan man named Sulaiman A went on trial in Stuttgart for a knife attack on May 31, 2024 in Mannheim.
The suspect with suspected jihadist motives is accused of launching the attack that killed a policeman and injured five others at an anti-Islam rally.
Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder used this most recent incident and the wave of other attacks to call for change in the country.
The 58-year-old said: “It is suspected that this was an attack.
“The attack shows that something has to change in Germany – and quickly!
“An event in Aschaffenburg in January and now in Munich…It’s simply enough.”
Germany’s approach to asylum seekers and security is facing huge scrutiny as the issues come to a head before the national election on February 23.
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