Gunman at Israeli consulate in Munich ‘was known Islamist’
German police shot and killed an 18-year-old Islamist gunman outside an Israeli consulate on the anniversary of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre.
The shootout in Munich between a gunman and police on Thursday came less than two weeks after the most recent Islamist terror incident in Germany.
Austrian media named the gunman as Emra I. They described him as an Islamist extremist who was known to police, hailed from Salzburg and had Bosnian roots.
The attacker parked his car outside the Israeli consulate at around 9am before running around the building’s perimeter wielding an ancient rifle equipped with a bayonet.
Video from the scene appears to show the man attempting to break into the building by smashing a window.
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After being notified by a member of the public, five officers were able to apprehend him. Witnesses reported hearing dozens of shots ringing out in the resultant gun fight that left the suspect dead at the scene.
Speaking later on Thursday, Joachim Hermann, the Bavarian interior minister, did not confirm that the incident was Islamist but said the fact that the man was found at the Israeli consulate on the anniversary of the Munich massacre was “unlikely to be a coincidence”.
No other people were injured in the incident, a police spokesman said.
Security around the consulate had been heightened on Thursday as the city marked 52 years since Palestinian terrorists kidnapped and killed 11 Israeli athletes at the Olympic village.
Isaac Herzog, Israel’s president, said: “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-filled terrorist came and once again sought to murder innocent people.”
He also thanked Munich police for their work.
In an initial response, Nancy Faeser, the German interior minister, said that “the protection of Jewish and Israeli buildings is our top priority”.
The consulate was closed for the day, as diplomats were supposed to attend a memorial for the victims of the massacre. However, the memorial was cancelled because of the shooting.
People working in the busy inner city area reported barricading themselves in their offices after hearing dozens of shots being fired shortly after 9am.
After dozens of police vehicles raced to the scene and a helicopter scoured the area, police gave the all-clear at midday.
Prosecutors in the Alpine city are said to have opened an investigation into the suspect last year after Isis propaganda was found on his mobile phone.
The car found at the scene is reported to have an Austrian licence plate.
The Israeli consulate had been the subject of threats in recent months. At the end of May, a bottle resembling a molotov cocktail and with a bullet inside was thrown over the wall of the building.
Talya Lador, the Israeli consulate general, thanked the Munich police on Thursday, saying the incident showed “how dangerous the rise in anti-Semitism is”.
Germany has been on high alert for terror attacks since the Oct 7 Hamas massacre set off the war in Gaza last autumn.
At the end of August, an Isis-inspired terrorist killed three people and injured eight more in a knife attack in the town of Solingen. The Islamist group later claimed the attack was carried out “in revenge for the Muslims in Palestine and elsewhere”.
03:47 PM BST
Today’s live coverage has ended
Our live coverage has ended. Here’s a round-up of the day’s events:
German media said the attacker was an 18-year-old Austrian with Bosnian roots and a “known Islamist”.
Isaac Herzog, Israel’s president, said he had spoken with the German president and both condemned the attack.
Bavaria’s interior minister said the assault looked like a planned attack on the Israeli consulate.
The gunman shot at police with an old, bolt-action rifle equipped with a bayonet around 9am on Thursday morning. Five police returned fire and killed him. No other injuries were reported.
03:46 PM BST
Watch: Police exchange fire with gunman
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03:20 PM BST
Jewish people are very afraid, says Bavarian politician
Jewish people are “very afraid”, the Bavarian commissioner for anti-Semitism said after an apparent attack on the Israeli consulate in Munich on Thursday.
”[Jewish] institutions are under threat in a new way, and that is something that has been underlined by the attack today. Since October 7, everything is different,” Ludwig Spaenle said.
He added that politics has a duty to act against Islamism and to protect Jewish institutions.
02:52 PM BST
Attacker ‘was reported to police in 2023’
The Munich gunman was reported to Austrian authorities in 2023 on suspicion of membership of a terrorist organisation and of spreading Isis propaganda, German media has reported.
According to the Bild newspaper, Islamist propaganda was found on the man's phone but the case was dropped by the Austrian public prosecutor's office.
The attacker was reported to be 18-years-old, had Bosnian roots and lived in the Salzburg region of Austria.
He travelled to Munich by car, where he fired on police outside the Israeli consulate with an “old” bolt-action rifle. Five officers returned fire and killed him.
01:49 PM BST
‘It looks like it was a planned attack on the Israeli consulate’
The attack looked like it was a planned assault on the Israeli consulate, Bavaria’s interior minister has suggested.
Joachim Hermann also thanked the police, who he said had acted “quickly, correctly and resolutely”.
Markus Söder, the minister-president of Bavaria, thanked the police and said that the gunman’s motive must be determined as soon as possible.
He said there was a “terrible” suspicion that the attack was related to the 1972 Munich massacre, which also occurred on September 5.
01:21 PM BST
Watch: Barrage of gunfire heard outside Israeli consulate
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12:38 PM BST
Gunman was ‘known Islamist from Austria’
The gunman who opened fire near the Israeli consulate in Munich on Thursday was a known Islamist from Austria, German media has reported.
According to Der Spiegel, the suspect was an 18-year-old male who resided in the Salzburg region and travelled to Munich by car.
12:28 PM BST
Israeli and German presidents condemn ‘terror attack’
The presidents of Germany and Israel have condemned the shooting incident near the Israeli consulate in Munich, Israeli president Isaac Herzog said.
“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,” Mr Herzog wrote on X.
He added: “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.”
Mr Herzog went on to thank the German security services for their “swift action” and sent his support to those “targeted” in the incident.
“Together we stand strong in the face of terror. Together we will overcome,” he said.
12:15 PM BST
Watch: Video shows gunman carrying ‘old bolt-action rifle’
Andreas Franken, the police spokesman, described the weapon as “bolt action rifle of an old variety”. It appears to be fitted with a bayonet.
@winkelsdorf
Sieht so aus, als ob der Täter eine Langwaffe mit aufgepflanztem Bajonett benutzt hat 🧐#München pic.twitter.com/68x1HSQMOS— Botschaften der Russischen Lügeration (@lugeration) September 5, 2024
10:27 AM BST
Suspect ‘fired off a series of shots’
The suspect “fired off a series of shots”, Joachim Hermann, Bavaria’s interior minister, has said.
Police at the scene have reportedly confirmed that there was a shoot out between officers and the suspect.
A large volume of gunfire could be heard in a video filmed by a German journalist from a nearby window.
10:23 AM BST
Suspect dead, police confirm
The suspect has died, Munich police have confirmed.
Police earlier said that the suspect was seen carrying a rifle-sized firearm and was severely injured after officers opened fire.
10:06 AM BST
Consulate was closed for massacre commemoration ceremony
The Israeli consulate in Munich was closed on Thursday for a ceremony commemorating the 1972 Munich massacre, the Israeli foreign ministry said.
“The consulate is closed today due to a commemoration ceremony for the massacre of Munich athletes, and no one from the consulate staff was injured in the incident,” it said in a statement.
“The shooter was neutralized by the German security forces and the incident is under their care,” it added.
On September 5 1972, Palestinian terrorists took members of the Israeli Olympic team hostage. The terrorists killed two athletes immediately, and nine were later killed in a failed rescue attempt.
09:43 AM BST
No diplomats injured, Israeli foreign ministry says
By Jörg Luyken
The Israeli foreign ministry has reportedly stated that no diplomats were injured.
The suspect reportedly drove up to the museum and then aimed a rifle at police stationed there and shot at them, Bild is reporting. Police then returned fire.
09:37 AM BST
Pictured: Police respond to shooting incident outside Israeli consulate in Munich
09:35 AM BST
Suspect was carrying a weapon, police say
The suspect appeared to be carrying a firearm before officers shot them with their service weapons, police have said.
The person was hit and injured, police added in a statement posted on X.
There are no reports of other injuries, the force said.
09:30 AM BST
Many shots heard in German journalist’s video
A barrage of gunfire can be heard in this video, which was filmed by a journalist at the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.
Shots fired outside Israeli 🇮🇱 consulate in Munich #München, Germany 🇩🇪 https://t.co/qetzHEz8AP pic.twitter.com/WQTqjif0m6
— Saad Abedine (@SaadAbedine) September 5, 2024
08:59 AM BST
Police shoot at ‘suspicious person’
Police have confirmed that they fired the shots towards a “suspicious person” and hit him.
Officers said they have no reason to believe another person was involved.
08:56 AM BST
Welcome to our live coverage
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage.
We’re bringing you all the latest updates after a reported shooting outside the Israeli consulate in Munich.
