An armed man, who had been seen carrying a long firearm, died after exchanging shots with five police officers in downtown Munich.
Police rushed to the Nazi Documentation Centre in the German city on Thursday morning, as reports on local media and social media claimed shots had been heard in the area. The Munich Police later said a major operation was underway in the Karolinenplatz area, which was cordoned off, and urged local to stay away also from the neighbouring Briennerstrasse.
A police helicopter was spotted circulating in the air.
In a statement shared on social media shortly before 9am BST, Munich Police announced police officers “fired shots at a suspicious person”, who was “hit”.
In a second message, the force added: “There are currently no indications of any other suspects in connection with the operation.
“Many forces are on site at the incident site and are clarifying the situation. Further information will follow.”
Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann later confirmed the suspect had died.
Eyewitnesses claimed at least a dozen shots were fired during the incident that comes on the anniversary of the 1972 Munich Olympics attack, when Palestinian terrorists took eleven Israeli athletes hostage and murdered them.
Benedikt Franke, deputy chairman and CEO of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), told the German publication BILD: “Our employees are in lockdown. At exactly 9.10am [8.10am BST] there was a loud bang.
“At least a dozen shots were heard. We don’t know any more at the moment. A large contingent of emergency services is currently deployed on the street.”
The Munich’s documentation centre for the history of National Socialism opened nine years ago on the site of the former Nazi party’s headquarters.
In light of the shooting, police raised security at the main synagogue in the city.
The 1972 terrorist attack started in the early hours of September 5, after eight armed members of the Black September group infiltrated the Munich Olympic Village.
They used stolen keys to enter two apartments where Israeli athletes were living during the Games.
Two Israelis were killed trying to resist, while another nine were taken hostage by the Palestinian terror group.
The terrorists demanded the release of both 234 Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel and the Red Army Faction leaders Ulrike Meinhof and Andreas Baader, who were being held in West Germany.
They also requested an airplane to faciliate their own escape. Although West German authorities agreed to the demands, security personnel attempted to rescue the hostages when they arrived at Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base.
Tragically all the hostages were killed in the resulting shootout. The terrorists were also eventually all shot dead.