A right-wing extremist mass shooting near Munich's Olympia mall killed nine people with immigrant backgrounds on 22 July 2016.
Key Facts
- Date
- 22 July 2016
- Killed
- 9 people
- Injured
- 36 people
- Perpetrator age
- 18 years old
- Location
- Olympia shopping mall, Moosach district
- Anniversary
- 5th anniversary of 2011 Norway attacks
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
David Sonboly, an 18-year-old Iranian-German, held far-right extremist beliefs influenced by xenophobia and racism. Investigations also cited bullying, mental illness, romantic rejection, and obsession with other mass shootings as contributing factors. He admired the AfD party, identified with the Aryan race, and shared Adolf Hitler's birthday, which he reportedly boasted about.
On 22 July 2016, Sonboly opened fire on teenagers with migrant backgrounds at a McDonald's near the Olympia shopping mall in Munich's Moosach district, then continued shooting bystanders in the street and inside the mall. Nine people were killed, most of them from immigrant backgrounds, and 36 were injured. Sonboly evaded police for over two hours before dying by a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Bavarian authorities initially attributed the attack primarily to personal grievances and mental illness, but in 2019 police declared it partly motivated by far-right extremism. The attack prompted debate among German politicians about the role of right-wing ideology in domestic terrorism, and an independent report by political scientists identified xenophobia and far-right ideology as possible additional drivers.