Kriti Mehrotra
While it’s true far-right white supremacist groups began openly despising the government in the 1990s, no one could have ever expected it would end with an act of heinous domestic terrorism. But alas, as carefully explored in Showtime’s ‘Waco: The Aftermath’ plus HBO’s ‘An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th,’ that’s precisely what the April 19, 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was. Yet for now, if you simply wish to learn more about Andy the German — real name Andreas Carl Strassmeir, an alleged conspirator of the entire attack — we’ve got the available details for you.
Who is Andy the German?
According to official records, West Germany native Andy was born on May 17, 1959, into a family of right-wing nationalist sympathies, indicating he grew up surrounded by ideas of extremism. In fact, since his grandfather was ostensibly a co-founder of the Nazi Party and his father was the Chief of Staff to Chancellor Helmut Kohl, his core idea of patriotism was something else entirely. That’s partly also why he graduated from a military university in Hamburg before enrolling in the German Army at the age of 20, only to be discharged as an Officer following a total of five years.
Andreas, also known as Andy, Andy the Kraut, Mr. Red, as well as Andrew Strassmire, then chose to relocate to Washington DC, where he hoped to pursue a career in the Department of Justice. It turns out he actually did manage to land a position in the federal government with the aid of a retired US Air Force colonel who had gotten to know his father while he was stationed in Berlin. However, by the time 1986 rolled around, the German had already moved to Texas and was working as a computer salesman for a local establishment while also socializing as much as possible.
Andy subsequently became intensely active in right-wing, infantry militia, and neo-Nazi circles, as per reports, just to then spend some time with similar groups right near Knoxville, Tennessee. Yet it supposedly was not until 1991 that he was introduced to the separatist community of Elohim City in Oklahoma — the place he moved into in 1992 before quickly becoming its head of security. Moreover, owing to his time in the military and his beliefs regarding US’ Second Amendment, he was even handed the responsibility of weapons training; nearly every resident there owned a firearm.
The truth is the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives was kind of aware of Andy since an Elohim City resident turned confidential informant had explicitly warned her handler about him. She’d claimed a man going by “Andy the German” frequently spoke of “blowing up federal buildings” as well as using “direct action against the US Government,” yet she didn’t know his full or real name. Therefore, despite their efforts, it unfortunately wasn’t until after the horrific Oklahoma City incident that he was positively identified, only to suddenly disappear from the face of this Earth.
Andy the German Was Last Seen in Germany
Andreas, aka Andy, was purportedly kicked out of Elohim City the second it came out the FBI was looking for him in connection to his possible ties with the bombing that resulted in 168 deaths. But then, according to formal documents, he managed to flee the nation for good with the help of his old government contacts — though it’s unclear whether he returned to Berlin for good or later flew to Mexico or anywhere else. In other words, he has since preferred to lead a life well away from the limelight, meaning if the 64-year-old is even alive today, no one publicly knows where precisely he is at the moment.
Read More: Livingstone Fagan: Where is the Waco Survivor Now?
