German prosecutors identify likely suspect in deadly 1970 Munich Jewish center arson

German prosecutors have closed the case of an unsolved antisemitic arson attack on a Jewish community center in Munich, identifying a deceased suspect after a 56-year investigation. The attack occurred on the evening of February 13, 1970, when the building, which housed the Jewish Community of Munich and a retirement home, was set ablaze using a petrol mixture.

Seven Jewish residents, all Holocaust survivors, perished in the fire, and an additional 15 people were injured, four seriously. The Munich Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Munich Police Headquarters confirmed the case closure on Monday. The investigation was reopened in April 2025 following a new public tip-off, after the Federal Public Prosecutor had previously closed the case in 2017.

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the Jews have everything

A witness provided credible information linking the suspect, who died in 2020, to a relative in the 1970s. Investigators examined archived files and interviewed witnesses from the suspect's circle. Findings suggest compelling grounds to believe the deceased suspect was the perpetrator. At the time of the attack, the suspect was a 25-year-old German man.

According to the informant, who was relaying remarks made by her deceased relative, the suspect allegedly commented near the crime scene, "the Jews have everything" and that he wanted to "set them on fire" shortly before the building erupted in flames. Other family members corroborated these remarks. Investigators also found links between the suspect and far-right circles, with witnesses describing him as an antisemite.

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set them on fire