What we know so far
Kate Connolly
There is a large police presence in the centre of Munich, southern Germany, after an incident close to the Israeli General Consulate.
Police confirmed that the area around Brienner Street and Karolinenplatz, in the heart of the city, has been closed off. People have been told to avoid the area and those within the area in residential or office buildings have been urged to stay inside. A police helicopter is circling over the location believed to be looking for a perpetrator.
There are unconfirmed reports that one person, who it is thought might be the attacker, has been injured, after being shot by the police.
Munich police said the incident occurred shortly before 10 am this morning. “in the area around Karolinenplatz shots were fired by police forces at a suspicious person, and the person was hit.”
There is as yet no indication of further persons’ involvement.
According to information in the German media, the suspect is thought to have approached the Nazi Documentation Centre with a shoulder arm weapon, when police who permanently guard the building, took aim at him.
Local journalists have made reference to the fact that the incident has occurred on the anniversary of the assassinations at the 1972 Olympics, when Palestinian terrorists murdered eleven Israeli athletes in Munich.
Key events
Kate Connolly
Benedikt Frank, the deputy director and CEO of the annual Munich Security Conference (MSC), which is hosted in the city, has said that his office, located in the area where the police operation is taking place, is currently sealed off.
“Our office, which is right next to the Nazi Documentation Centre in Munich’s city centre has been sealed off by the police. Our employees all find themselves in lockdown right now,” he told the tabloid Bild newspaper.
“At 9.10am there was suddenly a loud bang. We heard at least a dozen shots. We don’t know anything else at this stage. There is currently a large number of emergency personnel on the street,” he said.
Police spotted a person who appeared to be carrying a gun and fired at suspect, authorities say
The Munich police has posted another update, confirming that officers spotted a person who appeared to be carrying a gun.
Lageupdate zum aktuellen Einsatz:
Durch Polizeikräfte wurde eine Person gesehen, die augenscheinlich eine Schusswaffe trug.
Die Einsatzkräfte setzten die Dienstwaffen ein, die Person wurde getroffen und verletzt.
Aktuell gibt es keine Hinweise zu weiteren Verletzten.#muc0509— Polizei München (@PolizeiMuenchen) September 5, 2024
The emergency services used their weapons and the person was hit and injured, the police said.
What we know so far
Kate Connolly
There is a large police presence in the centre of Munich, southern Germany, after an incident close to the Israeli General Consulate.
Police confirmed that the area around Brienner Street and Karolinenplatz, in the heart of the city, has been closed off. People have been told to avoid the area and those within the area in residential or office buildings have been urged to stay inside. A police helicopter is circling over the location believed to be looking for a perpetrator.
There are unconfirmed reports that one person, who it is thought might be the attacker, has been injured, after being shot by the police.
Munich police said the incident occurred shortly before 10 am this morning. “in the area around Karolinenplatz shots were fired by police forces at a suspicious person, and the person was hit.”
There is as yet no indication of further persons’ involvement.
According to information in the German media, the suspect is thought to have approached the Nazi Documentation Centre with a shoulder arm weapon, when police who permanently guard the building, took aim at him.
Local journalists have made reference to the fact that the incident has occurred on the anniversary of the assassinations at the 1972 Olympics, when Palestinian terrorists murdered eleven Israeli athletes in Munich.
Israel’s foreign ministry has said that its consulate in Munich was closed when the shooting occurred, the Associated Press reported.
What is the Nazi documentation centre?
Opened in 2015, the Munich documentation centre is located on the site of the former ‘Brown House’, the headquarters of the Nazi party.
On its website, the centre describes its mission:
We undertake a critical examination of the history of this location and address Munich’s historical significance as the former ‘capital of the movement.’ Taking as our starting point the historical events leading up to and during the Nazi dictatorship, we focus particularly on the impact these events have had since then—right up to the present day.
Our central concern is to use this historical perspective to take a critical look at the present and to ask questions that have a bearing on the future: What characterises a strong democracy? What can weaken it? Where are minorities experiencing exclusion and persecution today? What values and what modes of behaviour can sustain an open society based on a sense of solidarity? How do we want to remember the past?
The Documentation Center stages exhibitions, art interventions, events, and participatory projects. It also offers online programs, a Learning Center, and a library.
Educational programs invite various target groups to address the history of National Socialism and its continuities into the present.
The documentation centre is located close to the Israeli consulate.
Here are the latest images from Munich.
Süddeutsche Zeitung reports that earlier today, a suspect fired two shots at the Nazi documentation centre in Munich.
The Munich police has not commented on details of the incident, writing on social media that police shot a suspicious person.
Munich police boost presence in city
The Munich police has said it has increased law enforcement presence in the city, but that it has no information about other locations or suspects.
The police has also asked the public not to share pictures or videos of the operation, but to upload them to a portal to help investigators.
Aufgrund der aktuellen Einsatzlage haben wir die Polizeipräsenz im Stadtgebiet erhöht.
Wir haben jedoch keinerlei Hinweise auf weitere Einsatzörtlichkeiten bzw. weitere verdächtige Personen. #muc0509— Polizei München (@PolizeiMuenchen) September 5, 2024
Munich police fire shots at suspicious person amid large operation
A large police operation is underway in Munich this morning in response to an incident near the city’s Nazi documentation centre. The centre is located near the Israeli consulate general.
Munich police said that officers fired shots at a suspicious person in the Karolinenplatz area and that the person was hit.
Earlier, the police said a helicopter was in the air to assess the situation.
In a video circulating on social media, multiple gunshots could be heard.
There are currently no indications of any other suspects in connection with the operation, police said, adding that large forces are on site.
Das sind die ersten gesicherten Erkenntnisse im Zusammenhang mit dem laufenden Einsatz:
– Im Bereich Karolinenplatz kam es zu Schussabgaben durch polizeiliche Einsatzkräfte auf eine verdächtige Person, die Person wurde hierbei getroffen.
-Der Einsatzraum ist großräumig abgesperrt— Polizei München (@PolizeiMuenchen) September 5, 2024