Munich police shoot and kill an armed man near a museum and the Israeli consulate

On September 5, 2024, a firefight between the police and an armed man occurred in Munich. At around 9 am on that day, the police received an alert that there was a person carrying a “long gun” in the area of Karolinenplatz near downtown Munich. Subsequently, a firefight broke out. The suspect died on the spot after suffering fatal injuries. Police spokesperson Andreas Franken said there is currently no indication that anyone else was injured.

The man was carrying an old-fashioned gun with a burst mechanism. Joachim Herrmann, Bavaria's top security official and state interior minister, said the suspect fired at the police and the police returned fire. It is not yet clear whether the incident is related to the 52nd anniversary of the attack by Palestinian militants on the Israeli delegation at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

The police said there is no evidence of other suspects. They increased police deployment in this third-largest city in Germany. At the same time, they said there is no indication of incidents at other locations or other suspects. When the gunshots rang out, five policemen were on the scene. After that, the police deployed a large number of forces to the area.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said the Munich consulate was closed at the time of the shooting and the staff were unharmed. The nearby Munich Documentation Centre for the History of National Socialism also said that all employees are safe and sound. Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and jointly condemned and expressed shock over this shooting incident. At an unrelated press conference in Berlin, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser described the incident as “a serious incident” and reiterated that protecting Jews and Israeli facilities is of top priority.