Armed officers have gunned down a suspected attacker in Munich after shots were fired at police positions close to the Israeli Consulate General and the city’s Nazi Documentation Centre this morning.
Munich police confirmed a large-scale operation in the area of Briennerstrasse and Karolinenplatz, setting up a perimeter and deploying a police helicopter over the scene.
The suspect is said to have fired several shots at police posts close to the Israeli consulate building, located just a few metres away from the Munich Documentation Centre – the former Nazi party headquarters which is now dedicated to addressing the city’s troubled past.
Munich police confirmed that the suspect was shot by armed officers and was left in a serious condition. It is unclear whether anyone else was harmed.
The shocking incident comes on the anniversary of the infamous 1972 Munich Olympics massacre in which 11 Israeli athletes were killed by the Palestinian ‘Black September’ militant group.
Armed police could be seen approaching the consulate building in tactical file, weapons drawn to secure the area, in a clip shared on social media.
The building was closed for a memorial service for the 1972 massacre when today’s attack occurred.
Armed police are seen in tactical file preparing to secure the Israeli consulate building
Police officers patrol after police fired shots at a suspicious person near the Israeli Consulate and a museum on the city’s Nazi-era history in Munich, Germany, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024
Police officers patrol near a scene after police fired shots at a suspicious person near the Israeli Consulate and a museum on the city’s Nazi-era history in Munich, Germany, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024
Police vehicles parked in Munich near the Nazi Documentation Center and the Israeli Consulate General in Munich, Germany, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024
A terrified citizen was seen sprinting away from the site of the shooting in a breathless clip shared to social media
Armed police are seen unloading equipment close to the scene
Initial reports indicated that the shots had been fired in front of the Israeli Consulate General, located just a few metres away from the Munich Documentation Centre
Armed police have gunned down a suspected attacker in Munich after shots were fired outside the city’s Nazi Documentation Centre (pictured) this morning
A volley of powerful gunshots could be heard ringing out in another shocking clip shared to social media by a German journalist this morning.
A terrified citizen was also seen sprinting away from the site of the shooting in the breathless clip.
Benedikt Franke, deputy chairman and CEO of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), told German outlet BILD how armed police descended on the scene this morning.
‘Our office, which is located right next to the Nazi Documentation Centre in downtown Munich, is currently cordoned off by the police. Our employees are in lockdown.
‘At exactly 9:10am there was a loud bang. At least a dozen shots were heard. We don’t know any more at the moment. A large contingent of emergency services is currently deployed on the street.’
The shooting comes on a particularly sensitive date – the anniversary of the 1972 Munich Olympics attack.
During the tragic event, Palestinian extremists took eleven Israeli athletes hostage and ultimately murdered them, marking one of the darkest moments in the history of the Olympic Games.
Israeli diplomat Talya Lador-Fresger said in a statement on today’s incident: ‘We are very grateful to the police forces in Munich for their actions and cooperation. This event shows how dangerous the rise of anti-Semitism is.
‘It is important that the general public raises its voice against it. Our Consulate General was closed today to commemorate 52 years since the terrorist attack at the Olympic Games.’
Police officer block a street after police fired shots at a suspicious person near the Israeli Consulate and a museum on the city’s Nazi-era history in Munich, Germany, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024
Police officers stand next to their cars after police fired shots at a suspicious person near the Israeli Consulate and a museum on the city’s Nazi-era history in Munich, Germany, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024
The 1972 massacre started as a hostage crisis in the early morning hours of September 5 when eight armed members of the Black September militant group infiltrated the Munich Olympic Village and used stolen keys to enter two apartments being used by the Israeli Olympic team.
Some team members resisted the intrusion, ultimately leading to the deaths of two of them.
The group then took nine hostages, with a spokesman demanding the release of 234 Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel and Red Army Faction leaders Ulrike Meinhof and Andreas Baader in West Germany.
Black September also demanded a plane for their own escape.
After debating whether to engage in negotiations with the terrorist group, West German authorities ultimately determined that a rescue attempt would be the only way to solve the crisis.
A combination photograph shows the 11 Israeli athletes and coaches who were killed at the Munich Olympics in 1972 after the Palestinian Black September group took them hostage
Palestinian terrorists took eleven Israeli athletes hostage and ultimately murdered them, marking one of the darkest moments in the history of the Olympic Games
Two West German policemen wearing athleitic sweatsuits and armed with submachine guns get into position on the roof of the Munich Olympic village building where armed Arab gunmen hold Israeli Olympic team members hostage 6th September 1972
Armed police drop into position on a terrace directly above the apartments where members of the Israeli Olympic team were being held hostage by the Black September group
They decided to feign an agreement with Black September, allowing them to transport the bound hostages to Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base nearby.
The West German police decided to secretly ambush the Black September members there with snipers, but the plan suffered from poor communication, improper planning and an inadequate number of sharpshooters to eliminate all of the terrorists.
At the airport, the Black September members became aware of their deception and engaged in a fierce gun battle with West German police.
Despite premature media reports that the hostages had all been successfully rescued, all of them were ultimately killed in the failed rescue attempt by gunfire or grenades from Black September members.
The Black September members were all killed by around 1:30am local time on September 6.