Munich prosecutors identify 1970 Jewish center arsonist, suspect deceased

Munich prosecutors say they have identified a suspect in the 13 February 1970 arson at a Jewish community centre that killed seven Holocaust survivors and injured 15, and that the suspected perpetrator died in 2020.

Prosecutors report the fire began at about 20:40 when petrol was poured into a wooden stairwell at a retirement home inside the community building on Reichenbachstrasse and ignited. The blaze spread rapidly to the top floor; four victims died in the stairwell and a fifth died after jumping from a window, while others escaped to the roof or were rescued by firefighters.

Investigators say they now have “compelling grounds” pointing to a 25-year-old lone neo-Nazi, identified by Der Spiegel as Bernd V, based on credible information from a woman who came forward after a close relative’s death. That relative had known the suspect and, prosecutors say, recounted that the man had expressed antisemitic intent near the community building shortly before the fire.

Prosecutors state the suspect was heard saying the Jews “had everything” and that he wanted to “set them on fire” roughly 15 minutes before the building was ablaze. Other family members of the witness and additional witnesses described the suspect’s “Hitler-fixation,” including listening to Nazi speeches in his youth and using a Hitler-Youth dagger during a prior confrontation. He received a juvenile conviction for blowing up two phone kiosks.

The suspected attacker’s name had been raised with investigators in the early 1970s by a former cellmate, but the case was closed due to insufficient evidence. Authorities closed the investigation again in 2017 for lack of conclusive evidence and reopened it last year after the new testimony. Prosecutors emphasise that the presumption of innocence applies despite the suspect’s death and say there is no reliable evidence of other involvement.

Liberal News Analysis: What Does This Development Mean?

Based solely on statements in the case file, prosecutors now consider a deceased 25-year-old former neo-Nazi the likely perpetrator of the 1970 arson that killed seven Holocaust survivors. New testimony from a witness’s relative and corroborating family accounts prompted reopening the investigation, while earlier leads from the 1970s did not yield sufficient evidence to charge the suspect at that time.

Quick Glance: What You Need to Know

• Fire set on 13 February 1970 at about 20:40 in the Jewish community building on Reichenbachstrasse.
• Seven Holocaust survivors aged 59 to 71 were killed and 15 people injured.
• Prosecutors now identify a deceased 25-year-old suspected lone neo-Nazi, based on a late witness report and corroborating accounts.