An armed man was shot and fatally wounded in a shootout with Munich Police in an area near the Israeli consulate, according to statements by law enforcement.
The Munich police said that officers were operating at the Munich Documentation Center for the History of National Socialism in the Karolinenlatz area, next to the consulate, when officers opened fire on a “suspicious person” warmed with a rifle. The suspect was wounded and later died of his injuries.
Shots fired outside Israeli consulate in Munich #München, Germany https://t.co/qetzHEz8AP pic.twitter.com/WQTqjif0m6
— Saad Abedine (@SaadAbedine) September 5, 2024
A helicopter and a significant police presence was mobilized to the area, but law enforcement saw no indication of any other suspects in connection to their operations. Police warned of disruptions in traffic and the city as operations, collection of evidence, and investigations continued.
52nd anniversary
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that the consulate has been closed for a ceremony to commemorate the 52nd anniversary of the 1972 Munich Massacre, in which 11 Israeli athletes were murdered by the Palestinian terrorist group Black September during the Olympic games. No consulate workers were harmed in the Thursday incident.
Israeli Ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor said that the attack occurred on the same day as the Munich Massacre, but on Thursday courageous police officers stopped the attacker in time and prevented anything worse from happening. Our thanks go to the emergency services in Munich.”
“The victims of 1972 were actually supposed to be remembered today — but this commemoration has now been cancelled,” Prosor said on social media. “Germans and Israelis are both affected by terror, so we must fight against terror together.”
Israeli Consul General to southern Germany Talya Lador said in a statement on social media that the event showed the danger of rising antisemitism.
“It is important that the general public raises its voice against it,” said Lador.
President Isaac Herzog soke with his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who both condemned the “terror attack” near the Munich consulate.
“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-f[i]lled terrorist came and once again sought to murder innocent people,” Herzog said on social media. “Together we stand strong in the face of terror. Together we will overcome.”
Central Council of Jews in Germany president Josef Schuster said on X not much was known about the background of the incident, but what was known was shocking. The council urged residents to stay safe.
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