Gunman at Israel embassy in Munich was ‘known Islamist’

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The gunman who opened fire near the Israeli consulate in Munich on Thursday was reportedly a known Islamist from Austria.
Der Spiegel, citing police sources, said the suspect was an 18-year-old male who resided in the Salzburg region and travelled to Munich in a car.
Named in Austrian media as Erma I, he is understood to have fired at police officers near the consulate with an “old” rifle fitted with a bayonet. 
Five police officers returned fire with their service weapons and severely injured the attacker. Police later confirmed he had died. 
No other injuries were reported, German and Israeli authorities said. 
A video showed the gunman struggling with the weapon’s recoil. After firing a single shot, he struggles to maintain his balance and almost drops the antique rifle. 
The incident happened on the anniversary of the 1972 Munich massacre, which occurred after Palestinian terrorists took members of the Israeli Olympic team hostage and 11 were killed.
Israel’s foreign ministry said that the consulate was closed for a ceremony commemorating the attack. 
Our live coverage has ended. Here’s a round-up of the day’s events:
Jewish people are “very afraid”, the Bavarian commissioner for anti-Semitism said after an apparent attack on the Israeli consulate in Munich on Thursday. 
”[Jewish] institutions are under threat in a new way, and that is something that has been underlined by the attack today. Since October 7, everything is different,”  Ludwig Spaenle said. 
He added that politics has a duty to act against Islamism and to protect Jewish institutions. 
The Munich gunman was reported to Austrian authorities in 2023 on suspicion of membership of a terrorist organisation and of spreading Isis propaganda, German media has reported. 
According to the Bild newspaper, Islamist propaganda was found on the man’s phone but the case was dropped by the Austrian public prosecutor’s office. 
The attacker was reported to be 18-years-old, had Bosnian roots and lived in the Salzburg region of Austria.
He travelled to Munich by car, where he fired on police outside the Israeli consulate with an “old” bolt-action rifle. Five officers returned fire and killed him. 
The attack looked like it was a planned assault on the Israeli consulate, Bavaria’s interior minister has suggested. 
Joachim Hermann also thanked the police, who he said had acted “quickly, correctly and resolutely”.
Markus Söder, the minister-president of Bavaria, thanked the police and said that the gunman’s motive must be determined as soon as possible. 
He said there was a “terrible” suspicion that the attack was related to the 1972 Munich massacre, which also occurred on September 5. 
The gunman who opened fire near the Israeli consulate in Munich on Thursday was a known Islamist from Austria, German media has reported. 
According to Der Spiegel, the suspect was an 18-year-old male who resided in the Salzburg region and travelled to Munich by car.
The presidents of Germany and Israel have condemned the shooting incident near the Israeli consulate in Munich, Israeli president Isaac Herzog said. 
“I spoke now with President of Germany, my dear friend Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Together we expressed our shared condemnation and horror at the terror attack this morning near the Israeli consulate in Munich,” Mr Herzog wrote on X. 
He added: “On the day our brothers and sisters in Munich were set to stand in remembrance of our brave athletes murdered by terrorists 52 years ago, a hate-fuelled terrorist came and once again sought to murder innocent people.”
Mr Herzog went on to thank the German security services for their “swift action” and sent his support to those “targeted” in the incident. 
“Together we stand strong in the face of terror. Together we will overcome,” he said. 
Andreas Franken, the police spokesman, described the weapon as “bolt action rifle of an old variety”. It appears to be fitted with a bayonet. 
@winkelsdorf Sieht so aus, als ob der Täter eine Langwaffe mit aufgepflanztem Bajonett benutzt hat 🧐#München pic.twitter.com/68x1HSQMOS
The suspect “fired off a series of shots”, Joachim Hermann, Bavaria’s interior minister, has said. 
Police at the scene have reportedly confirmed that there was a shoot out between officers and the suspect. 
A large volume of gunfire could be heard in a video filmed by a German journalist from a nearby window. 
The suspect has died, Munich police have confirmed. 
Police earlier said that the suspect was seen carrying a rifle-sized firearm and was severely injured after officers opened fire. 
The Israeli consulate in Munich was closed on Thursday for a ceremony commemorating the 1972 Munich massacre, the Israeli foreign ministry said. 
“The consulate is closed today due to a commemoration ceremony for the massacre of Munich athletes, and no one from the consulate staff was injured in the incident,” it said in a statement. 
“The shooter was neutralized by the German security forces and the incident is under their care,” it added. 
On September 5 1972, Palestinian terrorists took members of the Israeli Olympic team hostage. The terrorists killed two athletes immediately, and nine were later killed in a failed rescue attempt. 
By Jörg Luyken
The Israeli foreign ministry has reportedly stated that no diplomats were injured. 
The suspect reportedly drove up to the museum and then aimed a rifle at police stationed there and shot at them, Bild is reporting. Police then returned fire.
The suspect appeared to be carrying a firearm before officers shot them with their service weapons, police have said. 
The person was hit and injured, police added in a statement posted on X. 
There are no reports of other injuries, the force said. 
A barrage of gunfire can be heard in this video, which was filmed by a journalist at the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. 
Shots fired outside Israeli 🇮🇱 consulate in Munich #München, Germany 🇩🇪 https://t.co/qetzHEz8AP pic.twitter.com/WQTqjif0m6
Police have confirmed that they fired the shots towards a “suspicious person” and hit him.
Officers said they have no reason to believe another person was involved.
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage.
We’re bringing you all the latest updates after a reported shooting outside the Israeli consulate in Munich.