Munich shooter

He was known to authorities and fascinated by IS

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/zVg/AFP/KroneKreativ)

On Thursday morning, Munich held its breath for a short while: An 18-year-old Austrian shot himself near a Jewish institution. The shooter's previous history, the place and time of the crime give rise to "grave suspicions".

Emrah I., the Austrian with Bosnian roots, pulled the trigger on his long gun for the first time shortly after 9 am. His first target was a police post in the immediate vicinity of the Nazi Documentation Center and the Israeli Consulate General in downtown Munich.

The 18-year-old was shot a short time later by rushing police officers and subsequently declared dead. Now the question arises as to why? Bavaria's Minister President has a "grave suspicion". The CSU leader referred to a possible connection between the crime and the day commemorating the attack on the Israeli Olympic team in Munich on September 5, 1972.

Police still keeping a lid on the background
"He fired at the police officers, who returned fire," said Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann. According to images from the Internet, the weapon was an antique rifle with a bayonet. Herrmann also did not rule out a plan to attack the Israeli Consulate General, which is located near the scene of the crime. This had to be assumed.

The Munich Public Prosecutor General's Office later confirmed this: Yes, this was probably an act of terror! In a press release, it said: "At present, it is assumed that this was a terrorist attack, also with reference to the Consulate General of the State of Israel, whereby one focus of the ongoing investigations is the motivation of the suspect."

Austrian was no stranger
It is clear that Emrah I was no innocent bystander. The young man was known to the Austrian authorities as a suspected Islamist. The 18-year-old had already attracted attention as a violent offender at school. In the course of investigations, relevant material was discovered on his data carriers.

The 18-year-old is said to have stored and consumed considerable amounts of IS propaganda material on his cell phone. It also contained a game that had spread among IS sympathizers via social channels. In it, killing scenarios of the terrorist group are said to have been recreated. However, the Munich shooter was not classified as a so-called "high-risk threat".

Accordingto "Krone" information, the Salzburg man who was killed probably lived in the lakeside community of Neumarkt am Wallersee. A major police operation is currently underway there.

Emrah I. apparently acted alone
As the APA was assured by well-informed sources, at least the local authorities were not previously aware that the 18-year-old was already part of an IS network or had found like-minded people on the internet. Whether he was actually a lone offender is the subject of an ongoing investigation.

Emrah I. was charged in Salzburg last year on suspicion of membership of a terrorist organization - but was never convicted. The proceedings were discontinued, it was said. The Salzburg prosecution authorities initially did not want to comment on the reasons: "We are not providing any media information on this today."

However, the competent administrative authority confirmed a weapons ban against the then 17-year-old until the beginning of 2028, according to the Salzburg State Police Directorate.

Here, the car in which the suspected Islamist was traveling is being towed away.

(Bild: AFP/LUKAS BARTH-TUTTAS, Krone KREATIV)

Karner promotes "contemporary investigation methods"
According to Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence (DSN) has been in contact with the Israeli embassy and the Jewish Community (IKG). The security measures had been "increased".

On this occasion, Karner repeated his call for "modern investigation methods" for the police: "The possibility of monitoring messenger services is essential and indispensable. There must be an end to excuses, postponements and defenses." It is about monitoring suspects, arresting terrorists and preventing attacks.

Loud shots were heard in Munich:

Israel speaks of "terrorist attack"
The Israeli ambassador to Austria, David Roet, expressed both horror and relief in a statement: "On the same day that our nation remembers the brutal murder of eleven Israeli Olympians by Palestinian terrorists at the Munich Olympics, a hate-filled terrorist once again attempted to shed innocent blood. This attack strikes at the heart of the Jewish people and awakens a terrible memory that continues to haunt us. My deepest thanks go to the German security forces for their swift intervention."

Munich attack

• On September 5, 52 years ago, Palestinian terrorists from the "Black September" group shot dead two men in the Olympic Village during the Summer Olympics in Munich and took nine hostages from the Israeli Olympic team.
• Around 18 hours later, a failed rescue attempt ended with the deaths of the nine Israeli hostages, a police officer and five of the assassins.
• The terrorists wanted to free more than 200 prisoners in Israel and two leaders of the German left-wing extremist terrorist group "Red Army Faction" (RAF), Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof.

Roet emphasized: "Today's attack reminds us that the fight against terror and anti-Semitism is far from over. It requires a full and unwavering commitment from all of us. We must stand united, because only together can we overcome these forces of hatred." Israel's President Isaac Herzog also spoke of an attack in a statement. He appealed: "Together we are strong in the face of terror. Together we will overcome it."