German Authorities Identify Neo-Nazi Arsonist in 1970 Munich Holocaust Survivor Attack

German investigators have identified the perpetrator behind a 1970 arson attack at a Jewish community center in Munich that killed seven Holocaust survivors. The suspect, a 25-year-old known neo-Nazi with antisemitic views, died in 2020, preventing legal justice for the victims. The discovery was based on new information received last year, including testimony from a woman connected to the suspect through a deceased relative.

On February 13, 1970, around 8:40 p.m., the attacker poured gasoline in the wooden stairwell of a nursing home inside the Jewish community building on Reichenbachstraße and set it on fire. The blaze quickly spread to the upper floors. While many escaped or were rescued, seven survivors aged 59 to 71 died, including four in the stairwell and one who died after jumping from a window. Fifteen others were injured.

Prosecutors say they have "convincing grounds" to believe the deceased suspect, identified by Der Spiegel as Brand W., was the arsonist. Witnesses recalled him making antisemitic remarks near the community building shortly before the fire, expressing a desire to "burn the Jews." Family members corroborated these statements, and others described the suspect as obsessed with Hitler, listening to Nazi speeches in his youth and using a Hitler Youth dagger in confrontations. He was previously convicted of bombing two phone booths.

Der Spiegel also reported that a relative of the witness was involved in a failed jewelry store robbery nearby on the night of the fire, which reportedly angered Brand W. and fueled his antisemitic rage. The investigation into the arson was closed in 2017 due to insufficient evidence but reopened last year. Authorities emphasize the presumption of innocence still applies posthumously and found no reliable evidence implicating others.

This breakthrough closes a decades-old case but highlights a historical failure by police, as Brand W.'s name was known to investigators as early as the 1970s from a fellow inmate. The attack remains a notorious antisemitic crime in Germany's post-war history.