Berlin: An 18-year-old Munich gunman Ali David Sonboly, who shot nine people dead at a shopping centre in the southern German city on Friday before turning his handgun on himself worshipped Adolf Hitler and saw it as an ‘honour’ that he shared the same birthday as the Nazi leader on 20th April.
Sonboly was born in Munich to Iranian parents, and considered himself “Aryan”, citing Iran as the land where Aryans originated and repeatedly stating his hatred of Turks and Arabs, who it is claimed, bullied him at school.
All his victims had a migrant background three were of Turkish origin, three others were of Kosovan heritage and most of the dead were under 20 years old.
About 35people were also wounded during Sonboly attack at the McDonald’s restaurant. It has been ruled out that he had any links with jihadists.
Sonboly is known to have been inspired by the Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik. He also visited the site in Winnenden, south east Germany , where Tim Kretschmer killed 15 people at his school in 2009.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the tragedy had plunged Germany into ‘ deep and profound mourning’ that left a ‘night of horror’ lying behind the people of Munich.