An armed man was shot dead by German police early Thursday morning near the Israeli consulate in the southern city of Munich.
The BBC reports the man was hit, according to Bavarian police, and the area was cordoned off around Karolinenplatz. Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann confirmed the suspect had died.
They said there were no indications of any other suspects and they appealed to the public not to post images of the incident on social media.
People were told to avoid the area around Karolinenplatz and neighbouring Briennerstrasse and those in nearby residential or office buildings were urged to stay inside. A police helicopter circled over the area immediately afterwards.
Police officers are on duty in Munich. Police have shot down a suspicious person during a major operation in Munich city center near the Israeli Consulate General. ( Peter Kneffel/picture alliance via Getty Images)
According to a police spokesman cited by Sky News, officers acted after they noticed a person carrying a “long gun” in the Karolinenplatz area in the city centre at around 9am.
Israel’s foreign ministry said the consulate in Munich was closed when the shooting occurred and that no staff had been affected by the incident.
Police said they had increased their presence in the city, Germany’s third-biggest, but they had no indication of incidents at any other locations or of any other suspects.
Germany’s interior minister said there was a “serious incident” in Munich and the protection of Israeli facilities was of the “highest priority”.
More to come…
