Terrorism in Germany

Use of violence to achieve aims in Germany From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Terrorism in Germany has occurred in several distinct periods, most notably during the Weimar Republic and the Cold War. Acts of political violence have been carried out by far-left and far-right German groups, as well as by foreign organisations operating on German territory. These episodes have included assassinations, bombings, kidnappings, and other forms of politically motivated violence, and have had varying impacts on German politics, society, and security policy.

In the 21st century, Germany has faced renewed far-left, far-right, and Islamist extremist activity. Several attacks and plots linked to jihadist networks have occurred, including the 2016 Berlin Christmas market attack and the 2024 Solingen stabbing, prompting expanded security measures and counter‑terrorism efforts.

Contemporary threats include internationally connected jihadist networks, far‑right groups, and far‑left militants, with authorities regularly disrupting planned attacks and monitoring radicalisation within the country.

Response to terrorism

The terrorism of the 1970s significantly shaped Germany's political culture and reinforced its policy of refusing to negotiate with terrorist groups. It also led to the creation of GSG 9 in 1972, shortly after the Munich Olympics massacre, a federal counter‑terrorism and police special‑operations unit established within the then‑Bundesgrenzschutz (Federal Border Guard), which was renamed Bundespolizei in 2005. GSG 9 became one of the earliest dedicated counter‑terrorism units and served as a model for similar police special‑operations forces worldwide. That same year, the Radikalenerlass ('Radicals Decree') was introduced, which restricted individuals considered 'radical' or politically unreliable from holding public‑sector jobs.

In addition to organisational and administrative measures, the federal government also expanded criminal law to address terrorism. Forming, joining, or supporting terrorist organisations became a specific criminal offence under § 129a of the German Strafgesetzbuch (Criminal Code). The provision was introduced by the Act of 18 August 1976 as part of a broader package of counter‑terrorism legislation, which also established "terrorist organisation" as a defined legal category. These measures are sometimes collectively referred to as the "Lex RAF", reflecting their particular relevance to the activities of the Red Army Faction (RAF).

Traditionally, counter‑terrorism agencies in Germany have responded more quickly to extreme left‑wing groups than to extreme right‑wing ones. One explanation offered by researchers is that right‑wing extremists were often viewed as "corrigible", pursuing concrete and negotiable goals, whereas left‑wing extremists were regarded as "incorrigible", driven by ideological aims seen as non‑negotiable. Because left‑wing groups were perceived as challenging the foundations of the political system, they attracted a stronger state response, while right‑wing violence was sometimes treated as less politically threatening. In addition, far‑right attacks were at times not recognised as terrorism by security services, as they were not accompanied by explicit political statements or claims of responsibility. For example, the 1992 Mölln arson attack on a house occupied by Turkish immigrants was initially attributed to organised crime and only later identified as the work of extreme right‑wing perpetrators, leading officials to question whether it constituted terrorism at all.[1]

In 2019, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA, Bundeskriminalamt) created a specialised department focused on Islamic terrorism and extremism.[2]

Weimar Republic (1919–1933)

The Weimar Republic (1919–1933) was Germany's first parliamentary democracy, established after the First World War. Germany's defeat created a period of political instability in which numerous far‑left and far‑right groups attempted to seize power. Both sides formed their own militias and carried out political assassinations. For example, Foreign Minister Walther Rathenau was assassinated in 1922 by a far‑right organisation, while members of the Communist Party of Germany killed police captains Paul Anlauf and Franz Lenck in Berlin in 1931.

Terrorism in West Germany and reunified Germany

Operatives of GSG 9, Germany's counter‑terrorism unit, returning from Mogadishu in 1977 after rescuing the hostages of Lufthansa Flight 181

During the Cold War, particularly in the 1970s, West Germany experienced a wave of terrorism, most of it carried out by far‑left groups such as the Red Army Faction (RAF), and culminating in the German Autumn of 1977, one of the most serious national crises in the country's postwar history. Terrorist incidents continued into the 1980s and 1990s. Some of these groups also maintained links to international terrorism, notably Palestinian militant organisations, and some received support from the East German Ministry for State Security (Stasi) under Erich Mielke's leadership. In addition, both the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) carried out attacks against British military personnel based in West Germany, including the 1987 Rheindahlen bombing and the 1996 Osnabrück mortar attack, as part of their campaigns to target British forces stationed abroad. Other foreign militant groups also carried out attacks in West Germany and West Berlin, such as the 1986 La Belle discotheque bombing in West Berlin, in which Libyan‑backed operatives targeted a nightclub frequented by U.S. military personnel stationed in the city.

Terrorism in 21st‑century Germany

Aftermath of the 2016 Berlin truck attack

Turkish and Kurdish Islamist groups are also active in Germany.[3] Political scientist Guido Steinberg stated that many top leaders of Islamist organizations in Turkey fled to Germany in the 2000s, and that the Kurdish Hezbollah has also "left an imprint on Turkish Kurds in Germany."[3] Also many Kurds from Iraq (there are about 50,000 to 80,000 Iraqi Kurds in Germany) financially supported Kurdish-Islamist groups like Ansar al-Islam.[3] Many Islamists in Germany are ethnic Kurds (Iraqi and Turkish Kurds) or Turks. Before 2006, the German Islamist scene was dominated by Iraqi Kurds and Palestinians, but since 2006 Kurds from Turkey and Turks are dominant.[3]

In 2015, 11 verdicts concerning jihadist terrorism related offences were issued by German courts.[4] In 2016, 28 verdicts for jihadist terrorism related offences were delivered.[5] In 2017 there were 27 verdicts.[6]

Almost all known terrorist networks and individuals in Germany have links to Salafism,[7] an ultra-conservative Islamic ideology.[8]

Known terrorist groups in Germany (both active and in-active)

More information Right wing extremists, Anarchists and left wing extremists ...
Known terrorist groups in Germany (both active and in-active)
Right wing extremists Anarchists and left wing extremists Islamists and Salafists Separatists and foreign nationalists
Atomwaffen Division since 2018 Red Army Faction 1970–1998 Al-Qaeda since 2006 Provisional Irish Republican Army 1980–1989
Freikorps Havelland 2003–2005 Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Islamic State since 2015 Black September 1972
Gruppe Freital 2015–2018 Revolutionary Cells 1973–1993 Ansar al-Islam Grey Wolves since 1968
National Socialist Underground 1999–2011 Anti-Imperialist Cell 1992 – 1995
Deutsche Aktionsgruppen 1980 Movement 2 June 1972–1980
Wehrsportsgruppe Hoffman 1973–1980 Tupamaros West-Berlin (and Munchen) 1969–1970
Combat 18 since 1992 Revolutionäre Aktionszellen (RAZ) 2009–2011[9]
Action Front of National Socialists/National Activists 1977–1983 Rote Zora 1974–1995
Revolution Chemnitz 2018–2019[10] Militante gruppe 2001–2009
Nationale Bewegung 2000–2001 Klasse gegen Klasse [de]1992–2003
Hepp-Kexel-Group 1982 Feministische Autonome Zelle (FAZ) since 2019
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List of significant terrorist incidents in Germany

More information Germany, Date ...
Germany
Date Location Deaths Injuries Type Perpetrator or motives Description
2 April 1968 Frankfurt — — Arson Red Army Faction -- Shopping Mall
Two founding fathers of the RAF, Andreas Baader and Gudrun Ensslin, set fire to a shopping mall in Frankfurt as a political statement against capitalism.[11]
11 April 1968 Berlin — 1 Small arms fire Josef Bachmann -- Rudi Dutschke, prominent figure of the left-wing students movement
23 year old worker Josef Bachmann tried to assassinate the prominent left-wing figure Rudi Dutschke by firing multiple shots at him. The victim was seriously wounded and scarred for life.[12]
10 February 1970 Munich 1 23 Grenade attack and Small arms fire PDFLP and AOLP (Palestinian nationalists) -- Airports & airlines
Three terrorists attacked El Al passengers in a bus at the Munich-Riem Airport with guns and grenades; one passenger was killed and 23 injured.[13] All three terrorists were captured by airport police. The Popular Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Action Organisation for the Liberation of Palestine claim responsibility for the attack.[14]
Main article: 1970 Munich bus attack
13 February 1970 Munich 7 10 Arson Anarchist group (suspected) -- Cultural institutions
A Jewish cultural center was burned to the ground in Munich. Arab nationalist and German far-right organisations were initially suspected. Further evidence surfaced in 2012 involving a local anarchist group.[15][16]
2 February 1972 Berlin 1 — Bomb attack 2 June Movement -- British Military Vehicles and a British yacht-club (British Armed Forces)
As a reaction to the Bloody Sunday, an event during The Troubles, the 2nd June Movement bombed two vehicles of the British Armed Forces as well as a British yacht-club.
Main article: 2 June Movement
11 May 1972 Frankfurt 1 13 Bomb attack Red Army Faction -- Government institutions (Foreign: United States Army)
A bomb exploded at the Headquarters, V Corps (US Army) in the Abrams Building (IG Farben Building) in Frankfurt, killing US Army officer Paul A. Bloomquist and injuring a further 13.[17][18]
24 May 1972 Heidelberg 3 5 Car bombing Red Army Faction -- Government institutions (Foreign: United States Army)
Two large car bombs were detonated at the US Army Supreme European Command within the Campbell Barracks in Heidelberg, killing three. The dead were identified as Ronald A. Woodward, Charles L. Peck and Captain Clyde R. Bonner.[17][18][19][20]
5 September 1972 Munich 17
(5 perps.)		 — Hostage taking

(2 days)

 Black September (Palestinian nationalists) -- Olympic Games
Eight armed terrorists staged an attack during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany on 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team, who were taken hostage and eventually killed, along with a German police officer. Five of the attackers also died in the raid to free the hostages.[21][22][23][24]
See also: Munich massacre
7 April 1977 Karlsruhe 3 — Small arms fire Red Army Faction -- Government institutions
Shortly after 9:00 CET, a motorcycle pulled up next to the car of Germany's chief federal prosecutor, Siegfried Buback, a stoplight on the outskirts of Karlsruhe in western Germany. The motorcycle passenger proceeded to fire at least 15 bullets into the car. Buback and his 30-year-old driver Wolfgang Göbel died at the scene; the head of the chauffeur service Georg Wurster, 33, succumbed to his injuries six days later.[25]
See also: German Autumn
30 July 1977 Oberursel 1 — Small arms fire Red Army Faction -- Business
Jürgen Ponto, the head of Dresdner Bank, is shot and killed in his house in Oberursel. It is thought that three assailants attempted to kidnap Ponto, and after he resisted they shot him. He was shot five times and later died of his serious wounds. Susanne Albrecht, the daughter of a good friend of the Pontos, was later identified as one of the attackers.[26]
See also: German Autumn
5 September 1977 Cologne 5 — Small arms fire Red Army Faction -- Business
A group of armed terrorists attacked the car carrying Hanns Martin Schleyer, then president of the German employers' association, in Cologne. Four masked RAF members sprayed bullets into the two vehicles, killing Schleyer's driver Heinz Marcisz and a police officer, Roland Pieler. The driver of the police escort vehicle, Reinhold Brändle, and a third police officer, Helmut Ulmer, were also killed.[27]
Schleyer was abducted and held prisoner in an apartment in a residential neighborhood near Cologne. He was forced to appeal to the West German government under Helmut Schmidt for several RAF members -- then imprisoned -- to be exchanged for him. On 18 October 1977, three of the imprisoned RAF members were found dead in their cells. In response, Schleyer was shot dead en route to Mulhouse, France, where his body was left in an Audi 100.[28]
See also: German Autumn
22 August 1980 Hamburg 2 3 Arson Deutsche Aktionsgruppen Right-wing terrorism -- Private citizens (Refugees) & property
An Arson attack perpetrated by the Right-Wing terrorist group Deutsche Aktionsgruppen targeted a refugee home for Vietnamese.[29]
Main article: 1980 Hamburg arson attack
27 September 1980 Munich 12
(one perp.)		 213 Suicide bombing Right-Wing Terrorism (perpetrator: Gundolf Köhler) -- Private citizens & property
A bomb detonates at the Oktoberfest fairgrounds in Theresienwiese, Munich, killing twelve and injuring over two hundred more. The dead include the alleged bomber Gundolf Kohler, a member of the neo-Nazi Military Sport Group Hoffman.[30][31]
Main article: Oktoberfest bombing
11 May 1982 Seckbach (Frankfurt am Main) 1 — Assassination Revolutionary Cells (German group) -- German Politician Heinz-Herbert Karry
German Politician and Ministry of the economy of Hesse was murdered in his house by the Revolutionary Cells for supporting further construction of Frankfurt's Airport as well as further construction of the nuclear power plant Biblis.[32][33]
15 January 1982 Berlin 1 46 Bomb attack Palestinian Nationalists -- Private citizens & property
An explosion at the Mifgash-Israel, a Jewish owned restaurant in West Berlin, injures 46 people. An infant girl, who was in critical condition after the blast, later dies of her injuries.[34][35]
Main article: 1982 Berlin restaurant bombing
25 August 1983 Berlin 2 23 Bomb attack ASALA (Armenian nationalists) and Carlos the Jackal -- Diplomatic (French)
A bomb detonates on the fifth floor of the six-story French consulate building in West Berlin, causing extensive damage on the floor below, in which the consulate offices and a visitor's lounge were situated. The 11:20am explosion collapsed sections of the front facade and attic and catapulted parts of interior walls to the street below, although all dead and injured had all been inside the building.[36]
Main article: 1983 French consulate bombing
1 February 1985 Munich 1 — Small arms fire Red Army Faction -- Business
Head of the Federal Union of German Aerospace and Heavy Industries (BDLI), Ernst Zimmermann, is shot once in the head by a man with a sub-machine gun. The assailant forced his way into the industrialist's home in suburban Munich after his wife opened the door for a woman allegedly claiming to have a letter for Mr. Zimmermann.[37]
19 June 1985 Frankfurt 3 74 Bombing Abu Nidal Organization -- Airports & airlines
A powerful bomb rips through an international departure lounge of the Frankfurt Airport, killing three people and wounding 42. The dead include a man and two children, and of the many injured, 18 were hospitalized. The explosive device, which the police said appeared to have been placed among seated passengers waiting for their flights, blasted a large hole in the cement floor of the airport terminal, then one of the busiest in Europe.[38][39] German investigators concluded the perpetrator to be the Abu Nidal Organization.[40]
Main article: 1985 Frankfurt airport bombing
8 August 1985 Rhein-Main Air Base 2 20 Car bombing Red Army Faction & Action Directe -- Government institutions (Foreign: United States Army)
A car bomb explodes outside the headquarters building at the Rhein-Main Air Base, where members of the United States Armed Forces are stationed, killing two Americans and wounding about 20 people.
The dead were Airman Frank H. Scarton, 19, who was serving with the 437th Military Airlift Wing, and Becky Jo Bristol, the wife of Senior Airman John Bristol, who was with the Medical Airlift Squadron at the base.[17][41]
Main article: 1985 Rhein-Main Air Base bombing
4 April 1986 Berlin 3 231 Bombing Libyan agents -- Private Citizens & Property
A bomb placed on the dance-floor of the La Belle Discotheque, popular with United States military personnel, explodes, killing 3 and injuring hundreds more. Two of the dead were members of the United States military.[42]
See also: 1986 Berlin discotheque bombing
9 July 1986 Munich 2 — Bombing Red Army Faction -- Business
The physicist Karl-Heinz Beckurts, director of research and technology at the Siemens electronic company, and a driver are killed by a remote controlled bomb planted in his car in a Munich suburb.[43][44]
23 March 1987 Rheindahlen — 31 Car bombing Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) -- British military base
Main article: 1987 Rheindahlen bombing
19 June 1989 Osnabrück — — Bomb attack Provisional Irish Republican Army -- Government institutions (Foreign: British Army)
An IRA cell around Donna Maguire planted five explosive devices at the Quebec Barracks in Osnabrück. Of the five devices, only one exploded causing damage to a building. No casualties.[45][46][47]
30 November 1989 Bad Homburg vor der Höhe 1 1 Bombing Red Army Faction -- Business
Banker Alfred Herrhausen dies instantly and his driver is seriously wounded in a blast caused by a remote controlled bomb under his vehicle. Herrhausen, who headed Deutsche Bank A.G., was described as the most powerful person in the West German economy and a dominant figure in European banking.[48]
13 February 1991 Bonn — — Sniper attack Red Army Faction -- Government institutions (Foreign: United States)
RAF members fire sniper bullets at the American embassy.
Main article: 1991 United States embassy sniper attack
16 June 1991 Friedrichshafen 1 — Stabbing Mario R. (Neo Nazi) -- Angolan migrant
A 19-year-old neo-Nazi stabbed 36-year-old Angolan man Agostinho Comboio to death out of racial hatred. He was called the hero of Friedrichshafen by neo-Nazis after the incident.[49]
12 October 1991 Holzminden 2 0 Ambush, Shooting Action Group for the Destruction of the Police State --Police officers
The officers Joerg Lorkowski and Andreas Wilkending were ambushed after heading towards a distress call, near the parking lot in a wooded area in Holzminden. The attackers were captured four days later.[50][51]
Main article: 1991 Holzminden ambush
24 August 1992 Koblenz 1 7 Shooting Andy Johann H. (Neo-Nazi) --Civilians
Andy Johann H. shot an entire magazine of a semi-automatic weapon into a crowd of homeless people and punks at the central plazza in Koblenz. He was charged with 1 count of murder and seven counts of attempted murder.[49]
23 November 1992 Mölln 3 — Firebombing Neo-Nazis -- Private Citizens & Property
A molotov cocktail is thrown into the house of a Turkish migrant family, destroying the property and killing three occupants. Two known neo-Nazis were convicted of murder a year later.[52][53]
29 May 1993 Solingen 5 14 Firebombing Far-Right -- Private Citizens & Property
Four young German men (aged between 16 and 23) belonging to the far right skinhead scene, the oldest with known neo-Nazi ties, set fire to the house of a large Turkish family in Solingen in North Rhine-Westphalia. Three girls and two women died; fourteen other family members, including several children, were injured, some of them severely.[54][55]
Main article: Solingen arson attack of 1993
17 November 1993 Cologne — — Small arms fire Anti-Imperialist Cell -- Property
Multiple shots were fired at the employers Association Gesamtmetall.[56]
27 October 1994 Bad Freienwalde — — Arson Das K.O.M.I.T.E.E. -- Bundeswehr Building & Property
A Bundeswehr building of the Verteidigungskreiskommandos 852 was completely destroyed.[57]
28 June 1996 Osnabrück — — Mortar attack Provisional Irish Republican Army -- Government institutions (Foreign: British Army)
Main article: Osnabrück mortar attack
23 October 1996 Leipzig 1 — Stabbing Neo-Nazis --Syrian migrant
After verbally attacking and threatening multiple people with a knife, two Neo-Nazis stabbed to death a Syrian refugee.[49]
23 February 1997 Roseburg 1 1 Shooting Kay Diesner (Neo-Nazi) --Police officers
Kay Diesner, a prominent figure in Berlin's neo‑Nazi scene, opened fire on two policemen at a highway pull‑in near Rosenburg, killing one officer and wounding the other.[49]
9 June 2004 Cologne — 22 Pipe bombing National Socialist Underground -- Private Citizens & Property
Main article: 2004 Cologne bombing
9 September 2000 to 25 April 2007

Munich

Nuremberg

Heilbronn

Dortmund

Rostock

Kassel

 10 1 Serial Killing, Small arms fire National Socialist Underground -- Government institutions, Private Citizens & Property
Main article: National Socialist Underground murders
26 February 2009 Burg bei Magdeburg — — Arson Militante gruppe left-wing extremists --Bundeswehr vehicle
The left-wing extremist group militante gruppe (mg) firebombed a Bundeswehr vehicle. The arson attack was officially their last attack out of at least 25.[58]
11 November 2009 Frankfurt — — Arson Bewegung Morgenlicht Solitary activist pretending to be a movement attacked a bank with fire bomb[59]
30 December 2009 Berlin — — Bomb attack Revolutionäre Aktionszellen (RAZ) left-wing terrorists --Employmeent agency
The left-wing extremist group Revolutionäre Aktionszellen (RAZ) bombed an employment agency building in Berlin.[60]
4 February 2010 Berlin — — Bomb attack Revolutionäre Aktionszellen (RAZ) left-wing terrorists --House of economy
The left-wing extremist group Revolutionäre Aktionszellen (RAZ) bombed the house of economy in Berlin.[60]
19 November 2010 Berlin — — Firebombing Revolutionäre Aktionszellen (RAZ) left-wing terrorists --German Federal Administrative Office Berlin
The left-wing extremist group Revolutionäre Aktionszellen (RAZ) firebombed the German Federal Administrative Office Berlin.[61]
2 March 2011 Frankfurt 2 2 Small arms fire Arid Uka -- Government institutions (Foreign: United States Army)
An immigrant from Kosovo fires upon a United States Air Force bus, killing two and wounding two. At the time of the attack, the vehicle was parked outside the terminal building waiting to transport 15 U.S. airmen to Ramstein Air Base. The attacker first shoots an airman outside the vehicle, and then enters the bus, shooting and killing the driver and firing three shots at two other airmen, wounding them.[62] Perpetrator had done it to avenge U.S. military operations in Afghanistan[63]
Main article: 2011 Frankfurt Airport shooting
3 December 2011 Göttingen — — Firebombing Revolutionäre Aktionszellen (RAZ) --County Court
The left-wing extremist group Revolutionäre Aktionszellen (RAZ) bombed the Courthouse in Göttingen.The bombing was their fifth attack.[64]
14 May 2012 Potsdam 0 0 Arson Friends of Loukanikos --County Court
Assailants set fire to the car and vandalized the house of Horst Reichenbach (an important European Union (EU) official) in Potsdam city, Brandenburg state, leaving important material damage. The group Friends of Loukanikos claimed the attack for to protest austerity measures imposed on Greece.[65][66]
17 September 2015 Cologne — 5 Stabbing Frank S. (Right-wing extremist) -- Henriette Reker (Politician)
44 year old Frank S. seriously injured Henriette Reker with a knife in an assassination attempt. He then injured 4 additional people who tried to disarm him.[67]
17 October 2015 Berlin 1
(one perp.)		 1 Stabbing Rafik Mohamad Yousef -- Government institutions (Police)

41-year-old Rafik Yousef threatened several civilians with a knife and was fatally shot after stabbing an intervening police officer. Yousef was a member of Ansar al-Islam in Kurdistan and had been previously convicted for planning an assassination attempt against Iraqi prime minister Ayad Allawi in 2004[68]

1 November 2015 Freital — 1 Bomb attack Gruppe Freital (Right-wing extremists) -- Refugee accommodation
Members of the right-wing terrorist group Gruppe Freital detonate an illegal explosive in front of a window of a refugee housing. One refugee gets injured in the face.[69][70]
5 February 2016 Hanover — — Arson Saleh S. (Islamist) -- Civilians
17-year old Saleh S. threw two Molotov Cocktails at the entrance of a shopping-mall in Hanover. He was later charged with 7 counts of attempted murder after admitting that he wanted to kill as many people as possible. Just 3 weeks later his sister Safia S. attacked a police officer with a knife.[71][72]
26 February 2016 Hanover — 1 Stabbing Safia S. (Islamist) -- Government institutions (Police)
A policeman was severely injured by a 15-year old girl, Safia S., who was acting "on behalf of the Islamic State"[73][74]
16 April 2016 Essen — 3 Bomb attack Yussuf T. and Mohammed B. Islamic terrorism -- Sikh temple
Around 7 pm, the two radicalized youths threw an improvised explosive device onto the grounds of a Sikh-temple in Essen. Three people were injured by the bombing.[75]
19 July 2016 Würzburg 1
(one perp.)		 5 Axe attack Riaz Khan Ahmadzai (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) -- Private Citizens & Property
Main article: 2016 Würzburg train attack
22 July 2016 Munich 10
(one perp.)		 36 Shooting David Sonboly (Right-wing terrorism) -- Private Citizens & Property
Main article: 2016 Munich shooting
24 July 2016 Ansbach 1
(one perp.)		 12 Suicide bombing Mohammad Daleel (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) -- Private Citizens & Property
Main article: 2016 Ansbach bombing
26 September 2016 Dresden — — Pipe bombing Nino K. Right-wing terrorism -- Mosque & International Congress Center Dresden
In the late evening of 26 September 2016, Nino K. set up two bombs in Dresden, one targeting a Mosque and the other targeting the International Congress Center Dresden. He pledged guilty in February 2018.[76]
19 December 2016 Berlin 13 55 Truck attack Anis Amri (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) -- Private Citizens & Property
Main article: 2016 Berlin truck attack
28 July 2017 Hamburg 1 6 Stabbing Ahmad Alhaw (Islamic State) -- Private Citizens
Main article: 2017 Hamburg attack
March 2018 Multiple cities — — Multiple arson Kurdish extremists and left-wing extremists --Turkish Mosques, stores and cultural centers
As part of a wave of attacks and acts of violence against Turks and Turkish organizations as a response to the Turkish-kurdish conflict, Kurdish and left-wing extremists committed numerous arson attacks and non-violent operations in all of Germany.[77][78][79][80]
12 March 2018 Gütersloh — — Arson Left-wing extremist cell Vulkangruppe NetzHerrschaft zerreißen --Power supply system
After an arson attack on part of Berlins power supply system, roughly 6.500 households were left without electricity for numerous hours. A left-wing extremist group, calling itself Vulkangruppe NetzHerrschaft zerreißen claimed responsibility for the attack.[81]
26 March 2018 North Rhine-Westphalia — — Arson Anarchist communist extremist group Action Cell Haukur Hilmarsson --Power supply system
Militants burn three vehicles in Gütersloh, North Rhine-Westphalia. The Action Cell Haukur Hilmarsson claimed responsibility for the incident and stated that the attack was carried out in retaliation for Turkish military operations in Afrin.[82]
24 December 2018 Hambach Forest — — Arson Green anarchist group Hambi Chaos Crew --Pumping station
3 January 2019 Döbeln — — Bomb attack Left-wing extremists --Alternative for Germany office
After a bomb attack on the AfD office in Döbeln, three men were arrested and convicted.[83]
31 May 2019 Bremen — 1 Stabbing Right-wing extremists --Muslim civilian
A Muslim teenager was insulted islamophobically in a tram and stabbed with a knife in the neck.[84]
2 June 2019 Wolfhagen 1 — Assassination Right-wing extremist --Walter Lübcke
Walter Lübcke, President of the district Kassel and member of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) was shot dead outside his home in Wolfhagen. A political, right-wing motive has been confessed by the murderer Stephan Ernst who is a member of the terrorist group Combat 18 (C18) and the National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD).[85]
Main article: Murder of Walter Lübcke
22 July 2019 Wächtersbach 1
(one perp.)		 1 Murder-suicide/Drive-by-shooting Right-wing extremist --Random African citizen
On Monday, the 22nd of July, the unnamed perpetrator set off to randomly kill a person, the only requirement he had for his target was dark skin. After seriously wounding a man from Eritrea in a drive-by-shooting, the perpetrator went to a bar, where he boasted about his crime. Later on, the perpetrator killed himself.[86]
23 July 2019 Zittau — — Bombing Suspected right-wing extremists --Ramona Gehring (Politician)
A powerful explosion destroyed multiple windows of the home of the targeted politician of Die Linke. Right-wing extremists, possibly Combat 18, are the susptected perpetrators.[87]
27 September 2019 Berlin — — Arson Left-wing extremists --Court building
A left-wing group has claimed responsibility for an arson attack on the Pankow court in Berlin. The arson attack was part of the left-wing campaign Tu Mal Wat days.[88]
9 October 2019 Halle (Saale) 2 2 Attempted mass shooting Right-wing extremist --Synagogue and Turkish restaurant
Main article: Halle synagogue shooting
A man who was armed with multiple firearms and home-made bombs unsuccessfully attempted to force his way into a synagogue during Yom Kippur prayers, shooting and killing one passer-by. He subsequently fired into a nearby kebab restaurant, killing one customer. Pursued by police, he shot and wounded another man in an attempted carjacking, before being captured. Video and text material which the suspect posted online expressed his extremist anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant, and anti-feminist views as well as his admiration for perpetrators of earlier acts of right-wing terrorism.[89]
19 February 2020 Hanau 11
(one perp.)		 5 Mass shootings Right-wing extremist --Hookah bars
Main article: Hanau shootings
On 19 February 2020, two mass shootings occurred, targeting two shisha bars/hookah lounges in Hanau, Hesse, Germany. Eleven people, including the perpetrator, were killed and five others injured in the shootings, sparking a police manhunt. The gunman, identified as Tobias Rathjen, was eventually found dead in his apartment alongside his mother, who had also been killed.[90]
18 August 2020 Berlin — 6 Vehicle-ramming attack Sarmad al-Z.(Islamist) --Motorists
On 18 August 2020, a 30-year-old Iraqi man rammed his car into other motorists on the Bundesautobahn 100 in Berlin injuring six people. The man expressed support for Islamic extremist views.[91]
Main article: de:Amokfahrt auf der Berliner Stadtautobahn
4 October 2020 Dresden 1 1 Stabbing Abdullah al-H. H. (Islamist) --Civilians
On 4 October 2020, a 20-year-old Syrian asylum seeker stabbed a gay couple, killing one and injuring another in Dresden. The man was known by authorities to be an Islamist extremist.[92]
Main article: 2020 Dresden stabbing
26 May 2021 Berlin — — Arson Left-wing extremist group Vulkangruppe NetzHerrschaft zerreißen --Power cables to factory
Tesla Gigafactory Berlin was attacked by saboteurs who set cables supplying electricity to the construction site on fire.[93]
18 September 2021 Idar-Oberstein 1 — Shooting Mario N. (Opponent of Covid restrictions) --Civilian
After a dispute between a cashier and a customer about mandatory mask wearing at a petrol station, the 49-year old customer returned an hour later and killed the 20 year old cashier with a gunshot to the head. The perpetrator stated that the murder was motivated by his opposition to restrictions in place to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany.[94]
Main article: 2021 Idar-Oberstein shooting
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Islamic terrorism

Main article: Islamic terrorism in Europe

In the 2015–2020 time span, there were 9 Islamic terrorist attacks and thwarted terrorist plots where at least one of the perpetrators had entered Germany as an asylum seeker during the European migrant crisis. The Islamic terrorists entered Germany either without identity documents or with falsified documents. The number of discovered plots began to decline in 2017. In 2020 German authorities noted that the majority of the asylum seekers entered Germany without identification papers during the crisis and security agencies considered unregulated immigration as problematic from a security aspect.[95] Between 2020 and May 2025, 9 terrorist attacks classified as Islamist took place, including the 2020 Dresden stabbing and the 2024 Solingen stabbings. These attacks typically used knives and vehicles; attackers were increasingly young and radicalized online, especially as a result of the Gaza war, and typically acted alone without formal membership of terrorist groups such as Islamic State.[96]

Thwarted islamist terror attacks

In December 2019, German authorities reported to have thwarted ten Islamic terrorist plots since the 2016 Berlin truck attack, including one in Cologne in 2018.[97][98] Between 2020 and 2025, 20 Islamic terrorist attacks were publicly reported as being prevented by German authorities.[96]

2025 Christmas market arrests

In December 2025, five men were arrested in Germany on suspicion of plotting a vehicle attack on a Christmas market in southern Bavarian state, with authorities suspecting an"Islamist motive". The suspects included three Moroccans, an Egyptian, and a Syrian, who were detained over the plan. Prosecutors stated that the 56 year old Egyptian, reportedly an imam, had called for a vehicle attack "with the aim of killing or injuring as many people as possible," while the Moroccan men, aged 30, 28, and 22, allegedly agreed to carry out the attack. The 37-year-old Syrian was accused of encouraging the others in their planned actions. Officials did not disclose the intended date or exact target but believed the planned attack was in the Dingolfing-Landau area, northeast of Munich. Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann praised the "excellent cooperation between our security services" for preventing a potentially Islamist-motivated attack.[99][100]

List of international terrorist incidents (outside Germany) with significant German casualties

Terrorist incidents in Germany since 1970

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In popular culture

Berlin citizens attending the funeral of assassinated police captains Paul Anlauf and Franz Lenck in 1931

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