Munich police shoot dead an armed suspect near the Israeli consulate
The incident comes on the anniversary of the 1972 bombing at the Munich Olympics in which Palestinian gunmen killed 11 Israeli athletes
German police have shot dead a man in an exchange of fire near the Israeli consulate and Nazi history documentation center in the southern city of Munich. “This is a male individual and we know he was carrying a long weapon,” a police spokesman told state television.
Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann has confirmed the police operation and that the man, who was initially seriously injured, died at the scene. Police said on social media that there is no evidence that he was accompanied by anyone else and that there is therefore no danger to the population.
The incident comes on the anniversary of the 1972 Munich Olympics bombing, in which Palestinian Black September gunmen murdered 11 Israeli athletes.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said the consulate was closed on Thursday to commemorate the Munich Olympics massacre and that no one at the consulate was injured.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser described the incident as “serious” but did not want to “speculate on the circumstances and background” of what happened, she said during a press conference to discuss the fight against organized crime. “The protection of Israeli facilities is the highest priority.”
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