Live Handgun Cartridge Sent to Munich Jewish Community in Antisemitic Death Threat

The Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria, Germany, received a threatening letter containing a live handgun cartridge on Thursday, prompting a state security investigation into what community leaders described as an unprecedented escalation.

According to the community, the padded envelope arrived around midday and was identified during routine screening by the institution’s security service. The letter included antisemitic content and a call to harm Jews, along with a live pistol cartridge.

“It was a padded envelope with a live cartridge inside and a letter claiming responsibility with antisemitic content,” said Yehoshua Chmiel, vice president of the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria.

Chmiel said the incident marked a significant escalation compared with the threats the community typically faces. “This is an escalation,” he said. “The person has access to cartridges.”

The letter was sent to a central Jewish institution in Munich that includes the Jewish Community Center and the Ohel Jakob synagogue. The complex is located in Munich’s old town and is one of the most prominent Jewish sites in the Bavarian capital.

After the envelope was identified as suspicious, community security alerted police, who seized the letter as evidence. The investigation has been transferred to the Bavarian Department for State Security Offences. Police said they are withholding details about the sender and the full contents of the letter for tactical reasons.

A spokeswoman for Munich police said that based on the current state of the investigation, there was no immediate danger. “Based on the current state of the investigation, an actual danger can already be ruled out,” she said.

Chmiel said the Jewish community in Munich receives frequent threats, but emphasized that this case was without precedent. “We receive well over 100 threatening letters a year, but a live cartridge has never been enclosed before,” he said.

Beyond the immediate incident, Chmiel warned of a broader problem facing Jewish communities in Germany. He said antisemitic threats and incitement have become a daily reality, both in direct correspondence and on social media, and expressed concern about what he described as growing public indifference.

“The frightening thing is the normality with which society accepts anti-Semitism. We live with anti-Semitism every day,” Chmiel said. At the same time, he stressed that cooperation with local authorities has been close and professional, describing police handling of the incident as thorough.

The Bavarian state government’s commissioner against antisemitism, Ludwig Spaenle, condemned the threatening letter in strong terms. He described the incident as “evil and inhumane” and called for those responsible to be brought to justice.

“I hope that the state security can find the perpetrators who threaten Jews with danger to life and limb and thus deeply frighten them,” Spaenle said.

Police said the investigation is ongoing. The sender of the letter has not been identified, and authorities continue to treat the case as a serious antisemitic threat under state security jurisdiction.