Bomb threat paralyses Oktoberfest: Munich closes festivities after overnight explosion and fire

MNICHOV - The world-famous Oktoberfest beer festival remained closed on its first day after the city hall received a letter with a bomb threat. The city administration said the threat was directly related to a fire and explosion that took place overnight at a family home in Munich's north. At least one person died at the scene and police are investigating the case as a deliberate crime, according to the AP.

According to the Bild newspaper, several explosives were found in the house and police are working with the possibility that the perpetrator set a trap for the responding forces. German media also reported that one of the people in the house was found to have gunshot wounds. The police have not yet confirmed all these details, but stressed that the danger cannot be underestimated and that the investigation is continuing in all directions.

The Theresienwiese, where the Oktoberfest takes place, was therefore closed and visitors and employees had to be evacuated. According to the Washington Post, a special police unit and bomb squad have been deployed to search the festival grounds for possible explosives. A spokesman for the Munich police stressed that while they do not see a direct threat to the wider public at the moment, precautionary measures are necessary. At the same time, the important traffic artery Lerchenauer Straße was closed to allow forces to work without risk to passers-by, according to Reuters.

According to the Euractiv server, the festival organizers received a letter directly from the perpetrator referring to Oktoberfest and are therefore working with security forces to strengthen security at the site. City leaders also reminded that such threats are a very sensitive topic in Munich - especially because of the historical memory of the 1980 Oktoberfest bombing, which killed 13 people and injured hundreds. The perpetrator then was the right-wing extremist Gundolf Köhler, which still leaves a deep imprint in the collective memory of the residents.

The closure not only means a major disruption of the festival programme, which attracts millions of visitors from all over the world every year, but also complications in transport and logistics. The police and the town hall are appealing to the public to monitor official information channels.

gnews.cz - GH