Munich Has Suspended Oktoberfest For Security Reasons

A massive police operation is underway.

A large-scale police operation that began Wednesday morning continues in Munich - due to a possible threat to the famous Oktoberfest beer festival, its work has been suspended.

It is reported by the Spiegel.

On Wednesday morning, during a large police operation, explosives were found in a burning house in Munich. Special units were called in to defuse it. There were also reports of a dead man and a possible shooting.

Police are now probing possible links between these events and Oktoberfest. "Possible links to other locations in Munich are being checked, among them the Theresienwiese (the square where the festival is held. - Ed.)," police said in X. Police added that the opening of the festival site was delayed for this reason.

According to Süddeutsche Zeitung, the city's mayor Dieter Reiter said there was a "confirmed bomb threat." He said that "we cannot take the risk of opening the Oktoberfest." According to city officials, the festival grounds will remain closed until at least 5 p.m.

In the morning, a fire and sounds of an explosion in northern Munich prompted a massive rescue operation. A van was found completely burnt out in a residential neighborhood and a seriously injured man was found near a nearby lake.

At 4:41 a.m., an emergency call came in: residents in a neighborhood in the north of the Bavarian capital heard explosion-like sounds or gunshots and saw flames. According to police, the victim died in the morning. In X, police said the man may be linked to the events around the burning house. According to preliminary reports, the house was set on fire intentionally.

Police blocked off the neighborhood and traffic jams formed. According to the publication Bild, the man allegedly planted explosives in his parents' house and then committed suicide. There is no official confirmation of this information.

Heavily armed special forces were in action in a usually quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of Munich. Police announced an evacuation in a 200-meter radius around the burning building, and residents were asked to leave their homes. Also closed high school.

A fire department spokesman said that about 100 firefighters were working at the site.

We will remind, the day before the mayor of Munich Dieter Reiter addressed the public three days after the temporary closure of the crowded Oktoberfest festival, which was simultaneously attended by about 300 thousand people.

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