Second Teenager Arrested In Connection With Munich Shooting

Munich Shooting memorial
Young women mourning outside the Olympia shopping mall in Munich, Germany, July 24. Police have arrested a possible "tacit accomplice" to the killings there. Reuters/Arnd Wiegmann

Police in Germany have arrested a second teenager in connection with the shootings at a Munich shopping center on Friday.

Authorities said the 16-year-old Afghan, arrested Sunday, may have been a "tacit accomplice" to Ali Sonboly, the 18-year-old whose gun rampage in the city left nine people and Sonboly himself dead.

The 16-year-old is under investigation over suspicions he may have failed to report Sonboly's attack and could have played a role in a Facebook post aimed at inviting people to a site near Munich train station.

At least seven of Sonboly's victims were teenagers. In addition to the dead, 35 people were injured.

The killer is thought to have had a fascination with school shootings, and Bavarian police said he had visited the town of Winnenden, site of a famous 2009 school shooting, in 2015.

The Glock pistol he used is likely to have been bought on the "dark web," an un-indexed section of the internet that allows users to preserve anonymity.

Although the state of Bavaria has been tense since a knife attack on a train last Monday that was claimed by the Islamic State militant group (ISIS), there is no evidence of a political motivation for Friday's attack.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Josh is a staff writer covering Europe, including politics, policy, immigration and more.

To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.

Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go