Terrorism in Germany
Germany has experienced significant terrorism in its history, particularly during the Weimar Republic and during the Cold War, carried out by far-left and far-right German groups as well as by foreign terrorist organisations.
In recent years, both far left, far right and Islamist groups have been suspected of terrorism or terrorism plans.
Contents
Weimar Republic
Germany's loss in the First World War resulted in a chaotic situation, with multiple far-left and far-right organisations attempting to seize power. Both the far left and the far right organised their own militias, and carried out assassinations. For example, the Foreign Minister Walther Rathenau was assassinated in 1922 by a far-right group. Members of the Communist Party of Germany assassinated police captains Paul Anlauf and Franz Lenck in Berlin in 1931.
Terrorism in (or involving) West Germany and reunified Germany
During the Cold War, especially in the 1970s, West Germany experienced severe terrorism, mostly perpetrated by far-left terrorist groups and culminating in the German Autumn of 1977, the country's most serious national crisis in postwar history. Terrorist incidents also took place in the 1980s and 1990s. Some of the terrorist groups had connections to international terrorism, notably Palestinian militant groups, and were aided and abetted by the communist regime of East Germany.
Known groups responsible for attacks in Germany | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Red Army Faction
Held responsible for numerous bomb attacks, arson, kidnapping and murder of 34 people between 1970 and 1998. |
Revolutionary Cells
Held responsible for 296 bomb attacks, arson and other attacks between 1973 and 1995. |
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine | Black September | ||||
Tupamaros West-Berlin | Movement 2 June | Anti-Imperialist Cell | Militante gruppe (mg) |
List of significant terrorist incidents in Germany
Germany | |||||||
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Date | Sub | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Type | Perpetrator | Description |
10 February 1970 | Munich | 1 | 11 | Grenade & Small arms fire | PDFLP (Palestinian nationalists) | -- Airports & airlines
|
|
11 May 1972 | Frankfurt | 1 | 13 | Improvised Explosive Device | Red Army Faction | -- Government institutions (Foreign: United States Army)
|
|
24 May 1972 | Heidelberg | 3 | 5 | Car bomb | Red Army Faction | -- Government institutions (Foreign: United States Army)
|
|
5 September 1972 | Munich | 17 (5 perps.) |
- | Hostage taking
(2 days) |
Black September (Palestinian nationalists) | -- Olympic Games
|
|
7 April 1977 | Karlsruhe | 3 | - | Small arms fire | Red Army Faction | -- Government institutions
|
|
30 July 1977 | Oberursel | 1 | - | Small arms fire | Red Army Faction | -- Business
|
|
5 September 1977 | Cologne | 5 | - | Small arms fire | Red Army Faction | -- Business
|
|
27 September 1980 | Munich | 12 (one perp.) |
213 | Suicide bombing | Gundolf Kohler | -- Private citizens & property
|
|
15 January 1982 | Berlin | 1 | 25 | Improvised Explosive Device | (Palestinian nationalists) | -- Private citizens & property
|
|
25 August 1983 | Berlin | 2 | 23 | Improvised Explosive Device | ASALA (Armenian nationalists) | -- Diplomatic (French)
|
|
1 February 1985 | Munich | 1 | - | Small arms fire | Red Army Faction | -- Business
|
|
19 June 1985 | Frankfurt | 3 | 42 | Improvised Explosive Device | - | -- Airports & airlines
|
|
8 August 1985 | Rhein-Main Air Base | 2 | 20 | Car bomb | Red Army Faction & Action Directe | -- Government institutions (Foreign: United States Army)
|
|
4 April 1986 | Berlin | 3 | 231 | Improvised Explosive Device | Libyan agents | -- Private Citizens & Property
|
|
9 July 1986 | Munich | 2 | - | Improvised Explosive Device | Red Army Faction | -- Business
|
|
30 November 1989 | Bad Homburg vor der Höhe | 1 | 1 | Improvised Explosive Device | Red Army Faction | -- Business
|
|
23 November 1992 | Mölln | 3 | - | Incendiary device | - | -- Private Citizens & Property
|
|
28 April 1993 | Solingen | 5 | 14 | Incendiary device | - | -- Private Citizens & Property
|
|
28 July 1995 | Cologne | 3 (one perp.) |
2 | Small arms fire & Hostage taking | - | -- Private Citizens & Property
|
|
24 December 1996 | Frankfurt | 3 | 6 | Improvised Explosive Device | - | -- Religious figures & institutions
|
|
2 March 2011 | Frankfurt | 2 | 2 | Small arms fire | Arid Uka
(Islamist) |
-- Government institutions (Foreign: United States Army)
|
|
17 September 2015 | Berlin | 1 (one perp.) |
1 | Knife attack | -
(Islamist) |
-- Government institutions (Police)
|
|
26 February 2016 | Hanover | 1 (one perp.) |
1 | Knife attack to neck | -
(Islamist) |
-- Government institutions (Police)
|
|
10 May 2016 | Grafing | 1 | 3 | Stabbing | -- Civilians <templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles> |
List of international terrorist incidents with significant German casualties
- 6 German nationals died as a result of the bombing of several Balinese tourist clubs in Indonesia on 12 October 2002.[37]
- 14 German nationals died as a result of the bombing of a synagogue on the island of Djerba in Tunisia on 11 April 2002.[38]
Response to terrorism
The terrorism of the 1970s has formed Germany's political culture and its policy of not negotiating with terrorists. It also led to the formation of the GSG9 counter-terrorism unit. In 1972, a law was passed, the Extremist Act (Radikalenerlass), which banned radicals or those with a 'questionable' political persuasion from public sector jobs.
In popular culture
A number of books and films address this topic.
Films
- Die Hard
- Brandstifter (Arsonists) (1969)
- The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (1975)
- Germany in Autumn (1978)
- The Third Generation (1979)
- The German Sisters' (1981)
- Stammheim (1986)
- Todesspiel (1997)
- The State I Am In (2000)
- The Legend of Rita (2000)
- Black Box BRD (2001)[39]
- Baader (2002)
- Enemy of the State (2003)
- In Love With Terror (2003)
- Munich (2005)
- The Baader Meinhof Complex (2008)
- Children of the Revolution (2010)
See also
References
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- ↑ http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/anschlag-in-hannover-jaehrige-soll-im-auftrag-des-is-polizisten-verletzt-haben-1.3011720
- ↑ http://www.thelocal.de/20160531/teen-who-stabbed-police-officer-linked-to-isis
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Der Baader Meinhof Komplex vs RAF Film Chronicle by Ron Holloway, accessed 19 April 2009