The Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich, Germany, was closed on Wednesday (October 1) after police discovered explosives in a residential building in the city that caught fire and caused at least one fatality.
City officials said there had been a b*mb threat issued by the suspected perpetrator of the explosion earlier in the day.
According to Munich police, the explosion was part of a domestic dispute, and the residential building where the incident took place had been “deliberately set on fire.”
Image credits: Felix Hörhager/picture alliance
Image credits: Roland Freund/picture alliance
Special forces had to be brought in to defuse booby traps found in the building, according to Munich police.
Authorities found hand grenades and tripwires, as per Welt.
An unidentified individual was found seriously injured near the scene of the fire at Lerchenau Lake. The person was later reported to have lost their life, and another individual, who was not considered to be a danger to the public, was reported missing.
It remains unclear whether the deceased person was the suspected perpetrator or someone else.
The fire reportedly caused at least one fatality
Image credits: Roland Freund/picture alliance
Image credits: Up for a Walk?/YouTube
“Loud banging noises were heard,” police reported, adding that the injured person “might be connected to the incident”.
One resident told the DPA news agency, “I woke up around five o’clock because there were a few bangs. I got up, looked, and then there was a fire.”
The motive behind the explosion is still unclear. Authorities are also investigating posts published online by some individuals claiming responsibility for attacks on luxury cars in northern Munich, according to local media.
Bild newspaper reported that the home affected belonged to the suspect’s parents, although this has not been officially confirmed.
Image credits: Stuttgarter Zeitung & Stuttgarter Nachrichten
Image credits: Christof Rührmair/picture alliance
Officials discovered the b*mb threat to Oktoberfest in a letter from the alleged perpetrator, as per the Associated Press. Authorities searched the fairgrounds for other explosive devices and asked workers to leave the area.
A van was also burned out nearby, authorities said. Images from the scene show several burned vehicles in a street after the fire.
The area was reportedly evacuated around 9:45 am local time. On its website, the beer festival said it would remain shut until 5 pm in connection with the explosion.
The suspected perpetrator had issued a threat earlier in the day
Image credits: Up for a Walk?/YouTube
Image credits: Mkanuel Schwarz/picture alliance
Munich mayor Dieter Reiter said the closure of the Oktoberfest festival followed “a perpetrator threatening the Oktoberfest”.
“The police will do everything to have the entire Wiesn searched by 5 p.m. this afternoon, if possible, to ensure safety,” he stated on Instagram.
“If that’s not the case, I’ll get in touch again, and then the Wiesn won’t open at all today.”
Special forces defused booby traps, while hand grenades and tripwires were also found at the scene
Image credits: Daily Express
Munich police said on the WhatsApp messaging service that they are “currently investigating all possibilities,” and that “possible connections to other locations in Munich are being examined.”
The Oktoberfest, the world’s biggest folk festival, opened on September 20 and will end on October 5.
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