Munich’s Oktoberfest reopened on Wednesday evening after a deadly family attack and bomb threat prompted a major police operation and a seven-hour shutdown of the world’s largest beer festival.
Hundreds of people queued outside the gates and rushed into the festival grounds once police gave the all-clear.
Authorities had earlier evacuated people from the area and closed the site after discovering a letter with an explosive threat linked to a deadly incident elsewhere in the city.
Deputy Police Chief Christian Huber said investigators found the note while probing a fire at a residential building.
“We discovered a letter written by the suspect which contained an explosive threat relating to the Oktoberfest,” he said. Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann added that while the event was never under real threat, it was “right to take it seriously at first.”
The closure followed a violent rampage earlier in the day when a 57-year-old man shot his parents with a homemade weapon, set their home on fire, and booby-trapped the property with explosives before killing himself. His 90-year-old father is believed to have died in the blaze, while his 81-year-old mother and 21-year-old daughter were injured but survived.
Police said the suspect had also rigged vehicles with explosives and left a backpack filled with bombs. The attack triggered a massive emergency response involving 500 officers, firefighters, and rescue workers, as nearby residents and a local school were evacuated. Officials said the incident appeared to be motivated by a family dispute rather than political or religious extremism.
Despite the disruption, visitors arriving later in the day described a calm and safe atmosphere as they re-entered the festival grounds.
Oktoberfest, which runs from 20 September to 5 October this year, draws millions of visitors annually. The event has faced security scares before, including a 1980 far-right bombing that killed 13 people and injured more than 200.
U.S .President Donald Trump has again said Iran is keen to reach a deal quickly, but a senior Iranian security official rejected the claim, saying ...
A drone hit a petrol station in Ukraine's capital of Kyiv early on Tuesday, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on the...
Every day since a torrent of mud and rocks destroyed a Nepal-China border crossing high up in the Himalayas last m...
Maritime trackers received new reports of an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), adding to concerns about energy supplies after Saudi Arabia shut down a vital oil pipeline on Saturday.
A Kyiv-Warsaw train was struck near the Polish border, Ukraine's state railway firm said on Sunday. No passengers were injured. Ukrainian Railways said that the country's railways were facing systematic attacks for a second day and warned of widespread delays.
U.S. Central Command said 101 commercial vessels have been redirected in the Strait of Hormuz, while oil prices rose more than three per cent amid fresh regional attacks and supply concerns.
Swedes vote in an election on Sunday (13 September) that could see the far-right enter government for the first time if the country's right-wing parties can form a majority.
A Russian strike on a farm warehouse in Pryluky, north-central Ukraine, has killed at least three people, local police said. Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said an attack on a train near the Polish border was an attempt to intimidate Ukraine's allies.
A drone hit a petrol station in Ukraine's capital of Kyiv early on Tuesday, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging app, adding that there was also a strike on warehouse facilities in another part of the city.
Every day since a torrent of mud and rocks destroyed a Nepal-China border crossing high up in the Himalayas last month, Arushi Gupta's parents have called and messaged their missing daughter hoping she somehow survived.
Foreign ministers of Cambodia and Thailand delivered opening statements on Tuesday at the first meeting of a UN arbitration process to resolve a long-running maritime dispute between the two Southeast Asian neighbours.
A federal judge has halted a Trump administration immigration policy that would have significantly changed how long foreign students, exchange visitors and international journalists can remain in the United States.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has expressed cautious optimism about ongoing discussions with the United States regarding Greenland, signalling that Copenhagen believes a cooperative solution can be reached despite years of political tensions surrounding the strategic Arctic territory.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment