On Thursday, September 5, Munich police shot and killed an armed man following an exchange of gunfire near a museum dedicated to the city’s Nazi history and the Israeli Consulate. The incident coincided with the 52nd anniversary of the Munich Olympics massacre, which occurred on September 5, 1972. Authorities confirmed that there were no other suspects involved in the shooting.
The suspect has been identified as an 18-year-old Austrian national who had recently travelled to Germany and was residing in the Salzburg area. According to reports, he was already known to security authorities as an Islamist.
In a statement released on social media platform X, Munich Police said, “Police officers spotted a person who appeared to be carrying a firearm. The emergency services used their service weapons, and the person was hit and injured.” The police later clarified that the suspect was armed with an older long-barrelled gun when officers shot him on Karolinenplatz, a square close to the Israeli consulate and a Nazi documentation centre.
🚨🚨 #BREAKING: Shots fired outside Israeli consulate in Munich, Germany – @RonenSteinke pic.twitter.com/dI2gsDt68d
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) September 5, 2024
Despite announcing that the immediate threat had been neutralised, the police continued their operation at the scene, focusing on forensic investigations. “At the so-called witness collection point, colleagues speak to potential witnesses. Therefore, the traffic closures remain active,” police added.
A spokesperson for Munich Police confirmed that the suspect, identified as a male with a long-barrelled gun, “was stopped due to the intervention of the police and probably died at the scene.”
2. Lageupdate:
– Bei der benutzten Waffe des Tatverdächtigen handelt es sich um eine ältere Langwaffe
– Der Tatverdächtige ist bei dem Schusswechsel tödlich verletzt worden
– Es gibt nach wie vor keine Hinweise auf weitere Tatverdächtige oder weitere verletzte Personen#muc0509— Polizei München (@PolizeiMuenchen) September 5, 2024
The incident took place on the anniversary of the attack on Israeli athletes during the 1972 Munich Olympics, but authorities have not established any direct link between the anniversary and the shooting.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry reported that the consulate was closed for a ceremony commemorating the 52nd anniversary of the 1972 Munich Massacre, during which 11 Israeli athletes were killed by the Palestinian terrorist group Black September. No consulate employees were harmed in Thursday’s incident.
Talya Lador, the Israeli Consul General in southern Germany, commented on social media, stating, “We are very grateful to @PolizeiMuenchen 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.”
The 1972 Munich Massacre, a grim chapter in Olympic history, saw the death of 11 Israeli athletes, a West German police officer, and five Palestinian terrorists after the terrorists took the athletes hostage in a bid to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. The tragic event ended in a deadly shootout during a botched rescue attempt by West German authorities.
While Thursday’s incident has not been officially connected to the anniversary, it has nonetheless highlighted concerns over the persistence of anti-Semitic sentiments and the continuing security threats to Jewish communities and institutions worldwide.
