German prosecutors seek life sentence for Afghan driver in Munich demo attack

Defendant Farhad N. (r.) sits at his place in the courtroom of the Munich Higher Regional Court on the second day of the trial in January 2026. Source: Britta Schultejans/dpa

In February 2025, a 25-year-old man drove into a demonstration organized by the Verdi union, killing a woman and her toddler. The prosecution is now demanding the maximum penalty, while the bereaved have used stark language to describe the defendant.

Prosecution Demands Life Sentence

For the deadly car attack on a demonstration in Munich, the Federal Prosecutor's Office has called for the 25-year-old defendant, Farhad N., to be sentenced to life in prison. Prosecutors also requested a finding of particular gravity of guilt, which would significantly complicate any possibility of parole after 15 years.

"The act was, one must say it so clearly, aimed at the destruction of human life," the prosecution stated before the Munich Higher Regional Court in its justification.

"There is no doubt that the defendant deliberately steered the car into the crowd," said one of the two representatives of the Federal Prosecutor's Office during the roughly two-hour closing argument.

The Attack

In the attack on a demonstration march by the Verdi union in February 2025, a woman and her two-year-old daughter in a stroller were killed. Numerous other people were injured, some critically.

Charges

The Federal Prosecutor's Office has accused the 25-year-old Afghan of, among other things:

• Two counts of murder
• 22 counts of attempted murder
• Mostly dangerous bodily harm in 22 cases

Due to the expected sentence for these charges, nearly two dozen further cases—primarily for bodily harm—were excluded from prosecution.

Motive

The Federal Prosecutor's Office assumes a religiously motivated political attack. According to the prosecution, the defendant believed the attack corresponded to the will of Allah and was a necessary reaction to the actions of the USA and other Western states in Gaza and Afghanistan.

Additionally, personal emotional reactions played a role, the prosecutor explained. "The defendant made people objects of his anger, disappointment, and bitterness, even though they had no part in the creation of his emotional state." This is also to be considered a base motive.

Statements from the Bereaved

Representatives of the co-plaintiffs made clear in their closing statements what they think of the defendant's character. One lawyer described him as cowardly, lacking empathy, intellectually limited, and burdened with complexes.

The family of the two deceased also did not mince words. "He is a small, unempathetic man with a small ego who hasn't gotten far in his life," their lawyer read from a letter from the relatives, who did not attend the trial themselves to avoid seeing the perpetrator. "He is and remains a cowardly child murderer, here and for eternity."

The family demanded a just punishment as the first step towards personal peace. Their lawyer, as well as other co-plaintiff representatives, supported the demands of the Federal Prosecutor's Office.

Next Steps

The defense's closing argument and the defendant's final statement are expected to follow tomorrow, Wednesday. The verdict is expected on August 6.

dpa/lfb