Shot dead by police

Attacker in Munich was an 18-year-old Austrian

The shooter was an 18-year-old Austrian.

(Bild: zVg, Krone KREATIV)

The man who drove up to the NS Documentation Center in Munich on Thursday and fired at police officers in front of the building - krone.at reported - was an 18-year-old Austrian with Bosnian roots.

Emrah I., a native of Salzburg, was already known to the authorities. In spring 2023, he was charged in Salzburg with membership of a terrorist organization (§278b StGB) because propaganda material from the terrorist militia IS had been found on his cell phone. However, he was not considered a high-risk offender. The proceedings were discontinued.

In the early hours of Thursday morning, the 18-year-old drove up to the NS Documentation Center and fired an older-style bolt-action rifle (see picture below) at police officers in front of the building.

Was shot dead by police officers
"He was aiming at the police officers, who returned fire," said Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann. The shooter was seriously wounded and later died. According to the authorities, there were no other casualties.

The suspect was handling an older-style long gun.

(Bild: zVg, Krone KREATIV)

(Bild: AFP)

The background and motive are still unclear. "We are receiving comments with speculation and false information," the police wrote, appealing at the same time: "You can help us the most if you refrain from doing so and do not share rumors." The colleagues are working at full speed. As soon as reliable information is available, this will be communicated.

Crime on the anniversary of the Olympic attack
The attack took place on the 52nd anniversary of the Olympic attack on September 5, 1972, when Palestinian terrorists took several Israeli athletes hostage.

All the hostages died during an amateurish rescue operation by the West German police. The documentation center is also located near the Israeli Consulate General in Munich.

Israeli president speaks of "terrorist attack"
Israeli President Isaac Herzog and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier condemned the attack. In a telephone call, both expressed their "joint condemnation and our horror" at the act "near the Israeli consulate in Munich", Herzog wrote on X (formerly Twitter), referring to it as a "terrorist attack".

Söder speaks of "serious suspicions"
Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder also spoke of a "serious suspicion" and referred to a possible connection between the act and the day commemorating the attack on the Israeli Olympic team in Munich on September 5, 1972. The protection of Jewish institutions was of central importance to him.

According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, no employees of the Consulate General were affected by the incident. The diplomatic mission had just held a memorial service for the Olympic bombing, which is why it was reportedly closed. Consul General Talya Lador-Fresher, former ambassador in Vienna, said: "This event shows how dangerous the rise in anti-Semitism is." She emphasized: "It is important that the general public raises its voice against it."