Bavarian interior minister links teen school attack to far-right extremism and calls for tighter monitoring
Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said a July assault on two 13-year-old girls was classified as right-wing violence and highlighted prior warnings about the 16-year-old suspect.
In a parliamentary hearing, Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann identified the July attack on two 13-year-old pupils at Welfen-Gymnasium in Schongau as a right-wing extremist crime, pointing to a manifesto that combined misogyny, queer-phobia, racism and antisemitism. The 16-year-old suspect, on the police radar since 2025, had previously posted online praise for mass shooters, and a search of his home revealed a protective vest, knife and balaclava.
Although authorities had placed him under supervision, involving a school social worker and a prevention course, a psychiatric report was still pending and he was not detained when the attack occurred. Herrmann also addressed the recent Berngau shooting, where a 60-year-old sports shooter killed two weapons-control officials during a routine check, despite no earlier indication of danger. He stressed the need for authorities to treat such isolated cases more seriously and to act faster, as radicalisation can occur within three to four months.
Why it matters
The cases expose gaps in monitoring young extremists and raise questions about preventive measures for radicalised individuals.
How the sides frame it
HIGH AGREEMENTBoth camps report the interior minister’s classification of the school attack as a right-wing extremist crime, but left-leaning coverage emphasizes the hate-filled manifesto and calls for tighter monitoring, while right-leaning coverage stresses the suspect’s self-identification, weapon use and pre-trial detention.
LEFT
Frames the incident as evidence of far-right extremism, highlighting the hateful manifesto and urging stricter monitoring.
RIGHT
Frames the incident as a right-wing extremist attack, focusing on the suspect’s extremist self-identification, weapon use and legal custody.
The left emphasises
- the manifesto combined misogyny, queer-phobia, racism and antisemitism
- authorities had placed the suspect under supervision but he was not detained
- calls for tighter monitoring of extremist threats
The right emphasises
- the suspect identified himself as right-wing and fascist
- he first discharged a firearm that missed and then used a knife
- he is being held in pre-trial detention
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