The individual suspected of the arson attack on a Jewish nursing home in Munich, a crime that resulted in seven deaths in February 1970, was reportedly already under the radar of investigators. According to reporting by “Spiegel”, law enforcement had initiated proceedings against the Neo-Nazi and convicted burglar in the early 1970s. The lead came from a tip provided by a prisoner to the authorities. This man had stated that he shared a cell with Bernd V., who was incarcerated for a separate matter at the time. In that cell, V. allegedly alluded to the fact that he was the suspected arsonist in the Jewish facility case.
Based on this tip, the public prosecutor’s office launched an investigation against Bernd V. and conducted an interrogation on July 18, 1972. During this questioning, V. reportedly denied the accusations. However, the incriminating information provided by the fellow inmate was ultimately deemed insufficient to proceed with a conviction, and the investigation against him was closed in 1974.
Investigators received a second, independent tip regarding Bernd V. in 2025, based on the testimony of a new witness. However, the man in question had passed away in June 2020.
