Josef Erwin Bachmann (12 October 1944 – 24 February 1970) became widely known in Germany for his assassination attempt on the Marxist activist Rudi Dutschke, firing three bullets at him, on 11 April 1968. Bachmann was convicted of the attack and sentenced to seven years in prison. He committed suicide in 1970 while serving his sentence.
Early life
Bachmann was born on 12 October 1944 in Reichenbach im Vogtland, Saxony and grew up in East Germany in a family situation that had been described as difficult. In 1956, he left East Germany with his mother for West Germany and settled in Peine, Lower Saxony. Considered a poor student, he began to finance his lifestyle with a series of break-ins. He moved around frequently and changed jobs multiple times. In 1966, he was convicted for break-ins he committed in France.
In 1968, Bachmann moved to Munich, searching for work. While in Munich, he had heard of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. This inspired him to assassinate Dutschke, whom he disliked for "being a communist".
In 2009, it emerged that Bachmann had contact with an active cell of neo-Nazis in Peine starting in 1961 and that he participated in shooting practice with them.
In the attempt on his life, Dutschke suffered brain damage and had to learn to speak again. Being aware that Bachmann had attempted to kill himself, Dutschke started to converse with Bachmann in a series of letters. In this exchange, Dutschke characterised suicide as cowardly. Bachmann apologised for what he had done to Dutschke.
In the night of 23–24 February 1970, Bachmann committed suicide by suffocating himself with a plastic bag.