Afghan handed life for German car attack

MUNICH:

A 25-year-old Afghan man who rammed his car into a union rally in Munich last year, killing two people, has been given a life sentence, a German court said on Thursday.

The court deemed the crime particularly serious, a spokesperson for the Munich Higher Regional Court said, a finding that under German law generally rules out parole after 15 years.

The man was found guilty of charges including two counts of murder and 23 counts of attempted murder, the spokesperson said.

According to prosecutors, the man, identified as Farhad N to protect his privacy, acted out of religious motivation in what he believed was a "response to the suffering of Muslims in predominantly Islamic countries."