Suspect shot in Munich outside Nazi documentation centre

Published:


An armed man has been fatally shot by German police near the Nazi documentation centre and Israeli consulate in the southern city of Munich.

The man was hit during an exchange of fire with police. Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said later that the suspect had died.

Police said a man had been spotted in the area carrying a long firearm and five officers then exchanged fire with their service weapons.

The Israeli consulate was closed at the time for a memorial service marking the 52nd anniversary of the 1972 Munich Olympics attack by Palestinian militants, which killed 11 Israeli athletes and a police officer.

Police said there were no indications of any other suspects in Thursday’s incident.

Cordons were put in place in the area around Karolinenplatz and neighbouring Briennerstrasse, close to the centre of the city.

People in nearby residential or office buildings were urged to stay inside as police said they were working to “clarify” the situation and warned against speculation.

A police helicopter circled over the area and the public were asked not to post images of the incident on social media.

Munich’s documentation centre for the history of National Socialism opened nine years ago on the site of the former Nazi party’s headquarters or “Brown House”.

No-one at the consulate was hurt, and after the shooting police decided to raise security at Munich’s main synagogue, according to local reports.

Israeli Consul Talya Lador thanked the police for their response and said the incident showed “how dangerous the rise of antisemitism is”.

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog said he had spoken to his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, adding that they shared condemnation and horror at the attack.

“On the day our brothers and sisters in Munich were set to stand in remembrance of our brave athletes murdered by terrorists 52 years ago, a hate-fuelled terrorist came and once again sought to murder innocent people,” he said.

The gunman’s motive was not immediately clear but Joachim Herrmann said police would try to clarify whether there was a link to the anniversary.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said that protecting Jewish and Israeli institutions was of the highest priority.

“It’s very sad the incident took place in front of the Nazi documentation centre and Israeli general consulate,” she said.

Related Updates

Recent Updates