Theaterhaus Bomb

On September 2, 1997, children playing in front of the theater in the Schillergässchen found a red-lacquered suitcase with a black swastika painted on a white background. On September 4, 1997, a theater technician reported to the police that the suitcase, which had been taken for a stage prop, was standing in the theater. When an investigator from the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) learned at the theater that the suitcase had been taken to police headquarters in a patrol car without any forensic examination at the scene. During the examination, an explosives-detection dog alerted. The suitcase contained a pipe bomb wrapped in a plastic bag with 10 to 12 grams of yellow powder (TNT), but no detonator. The Gera public prosecutor’s office investigated Böhnhardt, Mundlos, and Zschäpe, as well as Andre K., Ralf W., and H. During a search of H.’s apartment, a pipe bomb was found. According to the LKA’s assessment, the bomb had been dangerous, since although it was not capable of detonating, it was capable of exploding.

External sources

Schäfer-Gutachten im Auftrag des Freistaates Thüringen, 2012, S. 54 Aust/ Laabs, Heimatschutz, S. 240 f.