Law & Justice
Munich Jewish centre arson suspect identified, police say
German police and prosecutors said Thursday they had identified a far-right suspect who allegedly carried out a 1970 arson attack on a Jewish centre in Munich that killed seven Holocaust survivors.
Authorities said the suspect was a German national who was 25 at the time of the attack and died in 2020. The case was reopened last year after a witness came forward with new evidence.
Police and prosecutors in Munich said the new investigation strongly indicated that the suspect was the perpetrator. They said a conclusive legal clarification was not possible because German law does not allow charges to be brought against a deceased person.
The authorities did not name the suspect. Der Spiegel magazine partially identified him as Bernd V.
Police and prosecutors said the suspect belonged to the right-wing milieu. They said witnesses described him as an antisemite with a Hitler fixation.
The attack took place on February 13, 1970, at a Jewish centre that served as a retirement home and guest house. Authorities said petrol was used to start a fire on a wooden stairwell, cutting off the only access to the premises as the fire spread.
Seven Jewish residents died. Fifteen other people were wounded, four of them seriously.
Update
Police and prosecutors said the new investigation strongly indicates the deceased suspect was the perpetrator.
Authorities said conclusive legal clarification is not possible because charges cannot be brought against a deceased person under German law.
Police and prosecutors said the suspect belonged to the right-wing milieu and witnesses described him as an antisemite with a Hitler fixation.
Der Spiegel partially identified the suspect as Bernd V.
The February 13, 1970 attack used petrol on a wooden stairwell, killed seven Jewish residents and wounded 15 other people, four seriously.
Source note: AFP news report published on 20 August 2026 at 07:53:15 UTC.
Update
The attack was an arson attack on a Jewish centre in Munich that killed seven Holocaust survivors.
The suspect was a man who was 25 at the time of the attack and died in 2020.
Police and prosecutors said the case was reopened last year after a witness came forward with new evidence.
Source note: AFP news report published on 20 August 2026 at 07:28:45 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
A conclusive legal finding is not possible because the suspect is dead and cannot be charged under German law.
Authorities did not publicly name the suspect in their statement.
Source
AFP news report published on .