German Police Shoot Gunman Dead Near Israeli Consulate in Munich

Europe|German Police Shoot Gunman Dead Near Israeli Consulate in Munich

Police officers in Munich shot and killed a gunman not far from the Israeli consulate and a museum about the city’s Nazi-era history on Thursday, the anniversary of the terrorist attack on the 1972 Olympic Games in the city, in which 11 Israelis athletes were killed.

The authorities said they were investigating the gunman’s actions as a possible terrorist attack.

The consulate may have been the target, given the location and timing. “It most probably isn’t a coincidence,” said Joachim Herrmann, the top security official in the state of Bavaria, of which Munich is the capital.

According to authorities, the gunman, who was identified only as an 18-year old Austrian, drove up in a car, got out and started shooting at patrolling officers with a rifle fitted with a bayonet. The police returned fire, killing the man. No one else was hurt.

“We have to assume that an attack on the Israeli Consulate possibly was planned early today,” Mr. Herrmann told reporters at the scene, according to news reports. The consulate itself was closed for the anniversary.

“For a moment today, Munich held its breath,” said Markus Söder, Bavaria’s governor, during a hastily called news conference. News agencies in Germany and Austria reported that the man, who is from a Bosnian family, was known to the Austrian authorities because of connections to Islamic radicalization.

Thursday was the 52nd anniversary of the attack at the Munich Games, in which Palestinian militants killed and kidnapped Israeli athletes and coaches. After a botched rescue attempt by German authorities, 11 Israelis and one West German police officer were dead.

The police said the man drove up to the grounds of the Munich Documentation Center for the History of National Socialism around 9 a.m. He got out of his car and started shooting at officers who were on patrol. Police hit him when they returned fire.

By chance, a journalist recorded the exchange of gunfire — an exceedingly rare sound in downtown Munich. The police later said the rifle used by the gunman was an old “repeater” rifle that still had a bayonet attached.

With parts of downtown closed to traffic and a helicopter hovering above, the situation was tense as officers rushed to ensure that the man was not part of a broader attack. Some 500 police officers were part of the response, according to Mr. Herrmann.

Nearly 90 minutes after the shots were fired, the police gave the “all clear.”

The police said the man was a resident of Austria and had entered Germany recently.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany’s president, described the attack as shocking, according to D.P.A., a German newswire. He vowed to stay in close contact with President Isaac Herzog of Israel with further updates on the investigation.

Two years ago the two presidents commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Munich Games attack and Mr. Steinmeier issued a solemn German apology to the families of the victims.