Safety · Schongau
Last injured student discharged after Schongau school attack; extremist probe continues
A month after a 16-year-old attacked classmates with a knife and pistol at a Bavarian gymnasium, the final injured student has left hospital. Investigators are pursuing an extremist motive and tracing the weapon's darknet origin.
In brief
The second 13-year-old girl seriously wounded in the July 8 attack left hospital on August 4; no victims remain in inpatient care.
Investigators found a letter possibly written by the 16-year-old suspect, leading the Bavarian anti-extremism unit ZET to take over the case.
The suspect, a Croatian national, told police he bought the pistol on the darknet; the manufacturer may face weapons law charges.
Students provided emergency care that likely saved one of the stabbed girls, while teachers and police overpowered the attacker.
- AttackJuly 8: 16-year-old attacks students with knife and pistol at Schongau gymnasium; one shot fired before pistol jams.
- Suspect overpoweredTeachers and police overpower the suspect; classmates provide first aid, saving one girl's life.
- First girl dischargedJuly: One seriously injured 13-year-old girl is released from hospital.
- Second girl dischargedAugust 4: The second seriously injured 13-year-old girl is discharged; no more injured remain in hospital.
Attack and immediate response
On the morning of July 8, a 16-year-old student armed with a knife and a pistol attacked fellow pupils at a gymnasium in Schongau, a town in Upper Bavaria. He stabbed two 13-year-old girls and fired at least one shot from the pistol before the weapon malfunctioned and jammed. While teachers and arriving police officers subdued the attacker, other students administered first aid to the wounded. That rapid intervention, according to investigators, probably saved the life of one of the girls, who had suffered severe injuries. The suspect was taken into custody at the scene, and a knife, the pistol, and ammunition were secured as evidence.
Investigation and extremist motive
The suspect, a 16-year-old Croatian national, has been held in pre-trial detention since the day of the attack. The Munich Public Prosecutor General's Office is pursuing charges of attempted murder, among other offences. Early in the investigation, authorities found what they described as indications of an extremist motive. A key piece of evidence is a letter that investigators believe may have been written by the suspect. Because of the potential extremist dimension, the case was transferred to the Bavarian Central Office for Combating Extremism and Terrorism (ZET), a specialised unit within the state prosecutor's office.
Weapon origin and legal implications
How the teenager obtained the pistol remains a central question. According to dpa information, the suspect told interrogators that he bought the weapon on the darknet. The prosecutor's office is examining whether the firearm's manufacturer might bear legal responsibility.
“The manufacturer would be charged with a violation of the Weapons Act.”
A spokeswoman declined to comment further, pointing to the ongoing nature of the proceedings.
Recovery and recognition
Both seriously injured girls have now left hospital. The first 13-year-old was discharged sometime in July; the second was released on August 4, the prosecutor's office confirmed. No other victims required ongoing inpatient treatment. Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder, who visited the school after the attack, publicly praised the courage of the students and staff who intervened. He indicated that the state would formally honour them.
“Rescue medals or something similar.”