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 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 September 20 to October 5 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.
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