The 2016 Munich OEZ Attack

On July 22, 2016, an 18-year-old Munich resident killed nine people in and around the Olympia-Einkaufszentrum, commonly known as the OEZ. The victims were predominantly teenagers and young adults, many from families with migrant backgrounds. The attacker later died by suicide.

The victims

Munich's official memorial names the nine people who were killed: Armela Segashi, Can Leyla, Dijamant Zabërgja, Guiliano Kollmann, Hüseyin Dayıcık, Roberto Rafael, Sabine Sulaj, Selçuk Kılıç and Sevda Dağ. The city has emphasized that remembrance should center the victims and the families and survivors affected by the attack.

Initial investigation

In the immediate aftermath, investigators established that the attacker had acted alone. Early public descriptions focused on a mass shooting by a young man with a documented interest in earlier mass killings, and authorities initially did not classify the event as politically motivated terrorism.

Because the perpetrator died before he could be prosecuted, there was no criminal trial that could test motive in an adversarial courtroom process. The investigative record, however, continued to be reviewed by Bavarian authorities.

The official classification changes

In October 2019, Bavaria's Interior Ministry announced the conclusion of a detailed review by the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office. The LKA classified the attack as politically motivated violent crime from the right. The ministry said the overall evidence showed a complex set of motives and that the attacker also had unmistakable racist motives.

That classification matters because it corrected years of official treatment that had framed the event primarily as an apolitical rampage. Munich's city government now consistently describes the crime as a racist and right-wing terrorist attack.

Remembrance and public record

The city created the “Für Euch” memorial near the OEZ, with the names and portraits of the nine people killed. By the tenth anniversary in July 2026, Munich's official commemorations explicitly described the event as a racist and right-wing terrorist attack and added further public memorial recognition at City Hall.

Timeline

1. July 22, 2016
   Nine people are murdered at the OEZ

   The attacker kills nine people around the Olympia shopping centre and later dies by suicide.

2. 2016–2019
   Motive remains under review

   Authorities continue examining the attacker's background, writings, online activity and the question of political motivation.

3. October 25, 2019
   Bavarian LKA changes the official classification

   The completed review classifies the attack as right-wing politically motivated violent crime and recognizes racist motives.

4. July 22, 2026
   Munich marks ten years

   The city commemorates the nine victims and publicly describes the attack as racist and right-wing terrorist violence.

Current status

The perpetrator is identified and deceased, and authorities have completed extensive investigative review of the attack. There was no homicide trial because the attacker died on the day of the crime. The official state classification recognizes the attack as right-wing politically motivated violence with racist motives.