4. The 1980 Oktoberfest Attack
Thirty-five years ago, a shy young geography student carried out the bloodiest attack in Germany’s postwar history. Gundolf Kohler, 21, wandered into the crowded Oktoberfest in Munich on September 26. At 10:00 PM, he dropped a package in a trashcan near the entrance and walked away. Seconds later, the bomb exploded with enough force to kill 13 people. Nails tore through the bodies of 200 others. Thanks to a botched timer, Kohler himself died in the attack, his body damaged beyond recognition. SEE ALSO: Boko Haram’s first beheading video EVERYONE is talking about (Watch)
In the investigation that followed, it was determined that Kohler was acting alone. A lonely gun nut, he’d apparently been inspired by far-right teachings. But important questions still linger over the bombing. One of the main witnesses was later identified as a prominent neo-Nazi and possible double-agent for the German government. A severed hand found at the scene has never been matched to any of the victims and is suspected to have belonged to a possible second bomber. There were even reports that Kohler’s bomb might have been remotely detonated to ensure he would die alongside his victims.
There’s now a strong suspicion that the attack was orchestrated by neo-Nazi group Wehrsportgruppe Hoffmann to influence the elections nine days later. Unfortunately, all physical evidence related to the bombing was destroyed in 1997. At this stage, a conclusion to this grim story seems highly unlikely.
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