A 43-year-old man kills nine people with a migration background

Despite a long history of mental illness, Tobias Rathjen was still the legal owner of multiple firearms. Over several years, he developed a set of racist and xenophobic theories that persuaded him of the pressing need to destroy the “enemies of the German people”.

In early 2020, Rathjen scouted out several bars and cafes in Hanau that were popular meeting places for people with a migration background. On the evening of 19 February 2020, he drove to the city centre and shot three people inside and in front of two bars. He then returned to his home neighbourhood and killed six people gathered around a kiosk and a pub, injuring a further five. After that, Rathjen returned home where he shot and killed his mother and then took his own life. It was one of the deadliest xenophobic attacks in Germany since the end of the Third Reich.