What Happened?
A far-right German terrorist killed nine people of non-German ethnic origins and injured several others in two shootings in the German city Hanau Wednesday, Feb. 19, according to CNN.
The shootings started in the evening around 11 p.m. local time, the BBC reported. The first hookah bar was located in the city center of Hanau.
From Hanau, the suspected gunman drove 1.5 miles and opened fire at the Arena Bar and Cafe located in the Kesselstadt neighborhood.
After a 72-hour manhunt, German police tracked the suspect’s car back to his apartment at around 10 p.m. local time Thursday, Feb. 20, NPR reported. The suspect, 43-year-old Tobias Rathjen, along with his 72-year-old mother, were both found shot dead.
In Context
The suspect had left behind a 24-page written manifesto as well as multiple videos on his YouTube site expressing conspiracy theories and hatred toward foreigners.
Those posts called for the extermination of certain racial groups, praised German supremacy and claimed that a small elite group controlled the world, according to Al-Jazeera.
Specifically, Rathjen’s manifesto claimed that “not everyone who owns a German passport is purebred and valuable,” and that people from Arab countries and Israel should be “annihilated,” according to the Daily Beast.
The victims were all of immigrant background. While some were German nationals, at least five have Turkish citizenship and some were reported to be Kurdish, according to the BBC.
The shooting in Hanau was only the latest in far-right terrorist attacks that have been appearing in waves across the country.
Walter Luebcke, a Christian Democratic Union politician known for his support for German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s refugee policy, was murdered by a neo-Nazi in June 2019, according to Al-Jazeera.
In 2017, a German army lieutenant registered as a Syrian refugee with a false name and planned to attack politicians in order to create more hate against refugees before he was apprehended by police.
Some members of the Hanau community were not surprised by the shooting and said “they lay blame on the right-wing German politicians of the Alternative für Deutschland political party and their populist anti-migrant rhetoric,” according to the BBC.
In 2017, the AFD became the first far-right party to win seats in the German parliament in 60 years, according to CNN.
The Latest
The Guardian reported that the German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer announced that he would increase police protections at mosques and other locations that would be of interest to right-wing extremists.
Police investigations continue as authorities try to find out if Rathjen worked alone or received aid from other groups or individuals.
Vigils were held for the victims of the shooting Thursday, Feb. 20, as people from Hanau and Berlin walked the streets holding candles and white roses, according to the BBC.
The Kon-Med association of Kurds in Germany and the Muslim association Coordination Council of Muslims are demanding the German government to take action and stop these hate groups.
In response to critics, AFD denied any responsibility for Rathjen, the Guardian reported.
