Terrorism in Germany has occurred in several distinct periods, most notably during the Weimar Republic and the Cold War. Acts of political violence have been carried out by far-left and far-right German groups, as well as by foreign organisations operating on German territory. These episodes have included assassinations, bombings, kidnappings, and other forms of politically motivated violence, and have had varying impacts on German politics, society, and security policy.
In the 21st century, Germany has faced renewed far-left, far-right, and Islamist extremist activity. Several attacks and plots linked to jihadist networks have occurred, including the 2016 Berlin Christmas market attack and the 2024 Solingen stabbing, prompting expanded security measures and counterâÂÂterrorism efforts.
Contemporary threats include internationally connected jihadist networks, farâÂÂright groups, and farâÂÂleft militants, with authorities regularly disrupting planned attacks and monitoring radicalisation within the country.
The terrorism of the 1970s significantly shaped Germany's political culture and reinforced its policy of refusing to negotiate with terrorist groups. It also led to the creation of GSGâ¯9 in 1972, shortly after the Munich Olympics massacre, a federal counterâÂÂterrorism and police specialâÂÂoperations unit established within the thenâ (Federal Border Guard), which was renamed in 2005. GSG 9 became one of the earliest dedicated counterâÂÂterrorism units and served as a model for similar police specialâÂÂoperations forces worldwide. That same year, the ('Radicals Decree') was introduced, which restricted individuals considered 'radical' or politically unreliable from holding publicâÂÂsector jobs.
In addition to organisational and administrative measures, the federal government also expanded criminal law to address terrorism. Forming, joining, or supporting terrorist organisations became a specific criminal offence under çâ¯129a of the German (Criminal Code). The provision was introduced by the Act of 18 August 1976 as part of a broader package of counterâÂÂterrorism legislation, which also established "terrorist organisation" as a defined legal category. These measures are sometimes collectively referred to as the "Lex RAF", reflecting their particular relevance to the activities of the Red Army Faction (RAF).
Traditionally, counterâÂÂterrorism agencies in Germany have responded more quickly to extreme leftâÂÂwing groups than to extreme rightâÂÂwing ones. One explanation offered by researchers is that rightâÂÂwing extremists were often viewed as "corrigible", pursuing concrete and negotiable goals, whereas leftâÂÂwing extremists were regarded as "incorrigible", driven by ideological aims seen as nonâÂÂnegotiable. Because leftâÂÂwing groups were perceived as challenging the foundations of the political system, they attracted a stronger state response, while rightâÂÂwing violence was sometimes treated as less politically threatening. In addition, farâÂÂright attacks were at times not recognised as terrorism by security services, as they were not accompanied by explicit political statements or claims of responsibility. For example, the 1992 Mölln arson attack on a house occupied by Turkish immigrants was initially attributed to organised crime and only later identified as the work of extreme rightâÂÂwing perpetrators, leading officials to question whether it constituted terrorism at all.
In 2019, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA, ) created a specialised department focused on Islamic terrorism and extremism.
The Weimar Republic (1919âÂÂ1933) was Germany's first parliamentary democracy, established after the First World War. Germany's defeat created a period of political instability in which numerous farâÂÂleft and farâÂÂright groups attempted to seize power. Both sides formed their own militias and carried out political assassinations. For example, Foreign Minister Walther Rathenau was assassinated in 1922 by a farâÂÂright organisation, while members of the Communist Party of Germany killed police captains Paul Anlauf and Franz Lenck in Berlin in 1931.
During the Cold War, particularly in the 1970s, West Germany experienced a wave of terrorism, most of it carried out by farâÂÂleft groups such as the Red Army Faction (RAF), and culminating in the German Autumn of 1977, one of the most serious national crises in the country's postwar history. Terrorist incidents continued into the 1980s and 1990s. Some of these groups also maintained links to international terrorism, notably Palestinian militant organisations, and some received support from the East German Ministry for State Security (Stasi) under Erich Mielke's leadership. In addition, both the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) carried out attacks against British military personnel based in West Germany, including the 1987 Rheindahlen bombing and the 1996 Osnabrück mortar attack, as part of their campaigns to target British forces stationed abroad. Other foreign militant groups also carried out attacks in West Germany and West Berlin, such as the 1986 Laâ¯Belle discotheque bombing in West Berlin, in which LibyanâÂÂbacked operatives targeted a nightclub frequented by U.S. military personnel stationed in the city.
Turkish and Kurdish Islamist groups are also active in Germany. Political scientist Guido Steinberg stated that many top leaders of Islamist organizations in Turkey fled to Germany in the 2000s, and that the Kurdish Hezbollah has also "left an imprint on Turkish Kurds in Germany." Also many Kurds from Iraq (there are about 50,000 to 80,000 Iraqi Kurds in Germany) financially supported Kurdish-Islamist groups like Ansar al-Islam. Many Islamists in Germany are ethnic Kurds (Iraqi and Turkish Kurds) or Turks. Before 2006, the German Islamist scene was dominated by Iraqi Kurds and Palestinians, but since 2006 Kurds from Turkey and Turks are dominant.
In 2015, 11 verdicts concerning jihadist terrorism related offences were issued by German courts. In 2016, 28 verdicts for jihadist terrorism related offences were delivered. In 2017 there were 27 verdicts.
Almost all known terrorist networks and individuals in Germany have links to Salafism, an ultra-conservative Islamic ideology.
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In the 2015âÂÂ2020 time span, there were 9 Islamic terrorist attacks and thwarted terrorist plots where at least one of the perpetrators had entered Germany as an asylum seeker during the European migrant crisis. The Islamic terrorists entered Germany either without identity documents or with falsified documents. The number of discovered plots began to decline in 2017. In 2020 German authorities noted that the majority of the asylum seekers entered Germany without identification papers during the crisis and security agencies considered unregulated immigration as problematic from a security aspect. Between 2020 and May 2025, 9 terrorist attacks classified as Islamist took place, including the 2020 Dresden stabbing and the 2024 Solingen stabbings. These attacks typically used knives and vehicles; attackers were increasingly young and radicalized online, especially as a result of the Gaza war, and typically acted alone without formal membership of terrorist groups such as Islamic State.
In December 2019, German authorities reported to have thwarted ten Islamic terrorist plots since the 2016 Berlin truck attack, including one in Cologne in 2018. Between 2020 and 2025, 20 Islamic terrorist attacks were publicly reported as being prevented by German authorities.
In December 2025, five men were arrested in Germany on suspicion of plotting a vehicle attack on a Christmas market in southern Bavarian state, with authorities suspecting an"Islamist motive". The suspects included three Moroccans, an Egyptian, and a Syrian, who were detained over the plan. Prosecutors stated that the 56 year old Egyptian, reportedly an imam, had called for a vehicle attack "with the aim of killing or injuring as many people as possible," while the Moroccan men, aged 30, 28, and 22, allegedly agreed to carry out the attack. The 37-year-old Syrian was accused of encouraging the others in their planned actions. Officials did not disclose the intended date or exact target but believed the planned attack was in the Dingolfing-Landau area, northeast of Munich. Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann praised the "excellent cooperation between our security services" for preventing a potentially Islamist-motivated attack.
A number of books and films address this topic.