Schongau school attack: Investigators classify knife assault as far-right extremist
A 16-year-old attacked two schoolgirls with a knife and firearm. Investigators classify the act as a right-wing violent crime, not a mental health crisis.
Investigation: Manifesto containing hatred of women and racism
Investigators in Bavaria have classified the knife attack on 8 July at a gymnasium in Schongau as a far-right extremist violent act. Before the attack, the 16-year-old assailant drew up a manifesto which, according to Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann, was characterised by hatred of women, hostility towards queer people, racism and antisemitism. Two 13-year-old schoolgirls sustained multiple stab wounds to the upper body. The attacker had previously fired a shot from a pistol, which then jammed.
Herrmann emphasised in the state parliament's interior committee that the investigation team "8 July" led by the Bavarian central office for combating extremism and terrorism (ZET) is directing the investigation. This office is based at the Munich public prosecutor general's office.
Prior observation by authorities
Police had monitored the teenager for more than a year before the attack—on suspicion of glorifying mass shootings. Herrmann acknowledged that there were insufficient legal grounds for pre-trial detention until the attack occurred. The minister warned against misinterpretations: "We naturally view prevention as a task for society as a whole, but the police alone cannot solve it." In future, the authorities would need to review how schools and youth offices handle threats made by pupils.
Contradiction at federal level
Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated at the scene on the day of the attack that the victims were random targets and that the teenager was in a state of mental crisis. According to n-tv, however, investigators reached a different conclusion—the classification as a far-right extremist act contradicts this assessment. Herrmann announced that further consequences would need to be drawn once the full facts were established.
Source: n-tv