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| Munich police shoot and kill suspect who opened fire on officers near Israeli consulate | Munich police shoot and kill suspect who opened fire on officers near Israeli consulate |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Man died after being shot by officers near the consulate and Nazi documentation centre | Man died after being shot by officers near the consulate and Nazi documentation centre |
| An extensive police operation was under way in Munich on Thursday after a man reportedly approached the Israeli general consulate bearing a “long” weapon shot at police before officers gunned him down. | |
| Witnesses reported hearing a flurry of gunshots at just after 9am local time. A police spokesperson confirmed the reports, adding that there was no indication any other suspects were involved. The suspect was killed in the exchange, which involved five police officers, according to a spokesperson. | Witnesses reported hearing a flurry of gunshots at just after 9am local time. A police spokesperson confirmed the reports, adding that there was no indication any other suspects were involved. The suspect was killed in the exchange, which involved five police officers, according to a spokesperson. |
| Ronen Steinke, a journalist from the Munich-based Süddeutsche Zeitung, posted mobile phone footage of the shooting on X that he had apparently recorded from his office. | Ronen Steinke, a journalist from the Munich-based Süddeutsche Zeitung, posted mobile phone footage of the shooting on X that he had apparently recorded from his office. |
| The Israeli general consulate and the nearby Nazi documentation centre are under constant police watch, but have been under increased surveillance since the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. | The Israeli general consulate and the nearby Nazi documentation centre are under constant police watch, but have been under increased surveillance since the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. |
| Local media outlets were quick to point out that the incident took place on the 52nd anniversary of the assassination attacks at the Munich Olympics of 1972 in which Palestinian terrorists killed two Israeli athletes and took nine others hostage, who were subsequently killed in a botched rescue attempt. The terrorists had wanted to obtain the release of 200 prisoners in Israel, as well as the Red Army Faction terrorists Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof. | Local media outlets were quick to point out that the incident took place on the 52nd anniversary of the assassination attacks at the Munich Olympics of 1972 in which Palestinian terrorists killed two Israeli athletes and took nine others hostage, who were subsequently killed in a botched rescue attempt. The terrorists had wanted to obtain the release of 200 prisoners in Israel, as well as the Red Army Faction terrorists Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof. |
| No immediate connection between the incident and the anniversary was made by police. There was no indication of further suspects or of any injured persons. | |
| In a statement on X, the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, expressed “horror” at what he described as a terror attack. | |
| “I spoke now with President of Germany, my dear friend Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Together we expressed our shared condemnation and horror at the terror attack this morning near the Israeli consulate in Munich,” Herzog said. | |
| Police told the public to avoid the area around Karolinenplatz and urged those in residential and office buildings to stay put as the location was sealed off and a police helicopter patrolled overhead. | |
| Benedikt Frank, the deputy director and chief executive of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), which is hosted annually in the city, whose office is located in the area said he and colleagues were trapped in the building during the police operation. | Benedikt Frank, the deputy director and chief executive of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), which is hosted annually in the city, whose office is located in the area said he and colleagues were trapped in the building during the police operation. |
| “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. | “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. |
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| He added: “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 added: “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.” |
| The area in which the incident occurred is considered to be particularly historically sensitive. The Nazi documentation centre, which was opened in 2015, was built on the ruins of the so-called “Brown House”, the former party headquarters of the Nazis. The Israeli general consulate moved into the former Nazi party quarter at about the same time. Both buildings are afforded special protection on the grounds that they are considered at high risk of attack. | The area in which the incident occurred is considered to be particularly historically sensitive. The Nazi documentation centre, which was opened in 2015, was built on the ruins of the so-called “Brown House”, the former party headquarters of the Nazis. The Israeli general consulate moved into the former Nazi party quarter at about the same time. Both buildings are afforded special protection on the grounds that they are considered at high risk of attack. |
| According to Israeli media, the consulate was closed at the time of the incident and no staff were present as a memorial ceremony to mark the Munich Olympics massacre was taking place at the same time. | According to Israeli media, the consulate was closed at the time of the incident and no staff were present as a memorial ceremony to mark the Munich Olympics massacre was taking place at the same time. |