A man, whose identity is still unknown, was killed by police on Thursday (5) after opening fire near the Israeli Consulate General and a Nazi history museum in Munich, southern Germany.
The attack comes on the day that marks the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre, when 11 Israeli athletes were killed by Palestinian terrorists.
“There was an exchange of gunfire near the documentation center on National Socialism and the Israeli Consulate General in Munich” and “the police were alerted very quickly and were able to be on the scene and react to the suspect who had a long gun and who fired several shots,” said Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Hermann.
“Due to police action, the suspect was neutralized and died,” added the head of the Interior of the government of Bavaria, a federal state in southern Germany.
According to local authorities, a major operation began after the suspect, described by police as “a male individual who was in possession of a long-barreled weapon”, opened fire in the Karolinenplatz area. In response, the shooter was shot and killed during the operation.
The police force that took part in the operation told German media that there was no evidence of any other suspects linked to the incident, nor of any injuries. Nevertheless, security in Germany’s third-largest city has been stepped up.
Munich police said investigations into the identity and motive of the person who shot the officers, who is believed to have acted alone, are still underway. Police also said they were investigating a vehicle used by the suspect.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government also spoke out about the attack, saying it was a “serious incident” because it occurred close to the Israeli consulate and “the protection of Jewish and Israeli institutions has the highest priority” for the country.
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