assassin / attacker
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assassin / attacker
A person who carries out a planned attack (an assassination attempt), usually for political, ideological, or religious motives, in order to kill a specific person or spread fear.
Der Attentäter konnte kurz nach der Tat von der Polizei gefasst werden.
The attacker was caught by the police shortly after the act.
The word is made up of 'Attentat' (attack / assassination attempt) and 'Täter' (the person who commits an act). So an 'Attentäter' is literally an 'attack perpetrator'.
Nach dem Attentat suchte die Polizei den Täter.
After the attack, the police searched for the perpetrator.
'Attentäter' is very often used in news and reports. Typical verbs in this context are 'fassen' (to catch), 'verhaften' (to arrest), 'identifizieren' (to identify), or 'stoppen' (to stop).
Die Polizei konnte den flüchtigen Attentäter identifizieren.
The police were able to identify the fleeing attacker.
This word belongs to formal language and is mainly used in the media, by the police, or in historical texts. It describes a person who carries out a targeted, often politically motivated attack.
In der Zeitung wurde ein Foto des mutmaßlichen Attentäters veröffentlicht.
A photo of the suspected attacker was published in the newspaper.
perpetrator / culprit
'der Täter' and 'der Attentäter' can both refer to a person who has committed a serious crime. But 'der Täter' is the general word for the person behind an act. 'der Attentäter' is much more specific: he carries out a planned attack, often for political, religious, or ideological reasons. Learners may confuse the words because an attacker is also a perpetrator. But not every perpetrator is an attacker. If it is not about a planned attack, 'Täter' is usually the right word.
Die Polizei konnte den Attentäter kurz nach dem Anschlag festnehmen.
The police were able to arrest the attacker shortly after the attack.
Im Zug bemerkte sie den Täter erst, als ihre Tasche schon weg war.
On the train, she only noticed the perpetrator after her bag was already gone.