A gunman fired several shots outside the Israeli consulate in Munich, Germany, on Thursday, several outlets have reported. The suspect was reportedly subsequently killed by police officers and the city’s downtown area has been sealed off by law enforcement.
In a string of posts on X on Thursday, Munich police reported that the incident took place near the Munich Documentation Center, a museum that focuses on the history of the Nazi regime, and the Israeli consulate.
The authorities wrote that officers opened fire after seeing “a person who was apparently carrying a firearm.” The individual in question was “shot and wounded,” according to one of the tweets.
In a subsequent message, the police clarified that the “suspect was fatally injured during the exchange of fire.” He is said to have been armed with an “old long-barrel weapon.”
At the time of writing, there is no information available as to the suspected shooter’s identity.
Police representatives emphasized that there was no reason to believe that any other suspects remained at large.
A heavy police presence descended upon central Munich, including commando units and a helicopter, in response to the incident. This has led to traffic becoming congested in certain areas of the city.
Criminal police are currently working at the scene, gathering evidence and questioning eyewitnesses, one of the messages on X said.
An eyewitness video clip that purportedly captured the incident and in which several shots are audible has been circulating online.
According to the media outlets Süddeutsche Zeitung and Bild, the suspect fired two shots at the Munich Documentation Center, after which the police officers stationed outside returned fire.
The outlets pointed out that the shooting occurred on the 52nd anniversary of the Munich terrorist attack that saw a group of Palestinian militants kill two Israeli athletes and take nine more hostage during the 1972 Olympic Games. A botched police operation that followed led to the death of the hostages.
Israel’s KAN broadcaster has quoted the Israeli Foreign Ministry as confirming that there were no casualties as a result of the incident.
In a post on X, the Israeli Consulate in Munich expressed gratitude to the German police for their handling of the situation. The message revealed that the diplomatic mission was closed on Thursday to commemorate the victims of the 1972 terrorist attack.
“This incident shows how dangerous the surge of anti-Semitism is,” the Israeli mission stated.