Josef Bachmann

Josef Erwin Bachmann (October 12, 1944 Reichenbach im Vogtland, Saxony – February 24, 1970) became widely known in Germany for his assassination attempt on the leader of the German student movement, Rudi Dutschke, firing three bullets at him, on April 11, 1968. He was convicted of the attack and sentenced to a seven-year prison sentence. While in prison in 1970, Bachmann committed suicide by suffocating himself with a plastic bag over his head.

The attack

Bachmann approached Dutschke, whom he had never met, in the street, having found out his address from the Einwohnermeldeamt, the registration office. Asking him if he was really Rudi Dutschke, he took out a gun and shot him in the head. Later on he told the judge that he had done it out of hate, calling Dutschke a "dirty communist pig". After the shooting, Bachmann fled to a cellar where he took an overdose of sleeping pills but still continued firing his gun at police officers trying to approach him. He was taken to a hospital to deal with the effects of his overdose.

Dutschke survived the assassination attempt but suffered brain damage and was forced to learn to speak again. He was left with severe health problems which in 1979 led to his death in Aarhus, Denmark.

After Bachmann's conviction, he and Dutschke corresponded by letter. Bachmann committed suicide on the night between February 23 and February 24, 1970.

In media

Bachmann was portrayed by Tom Schilling in the 2008 film Der Baader Meinhof Komplex.