MUNICH — 1972 · Major Tragedy
The Munich Olympics Massacre
On 5 September 1972, during the Munich Olympic Games, eight armed militants from the Black September group entered the Israeli team's quarters in the Olympic Village and took athletes and coaches hostage, demanding the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Hostages and militants were flown by helicopter to Fürstenfeldbruck air base, where a failed rescue attempt left 11 Israeli athletes and coaches, one German police officer and five militants dead. Poorly trained snipers and communication failures were later heavily criticised. The Games were suspended for 24 hours.
- Date
- 1972
- Place
- Bavaria, Germany, Munich, DE
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Closed
- Coordinates
- 48.1790, 11.5500 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 5 September 1972Militants seized hostages in the Olympic Village.
- 5-6 September 1972The rescue attempt at Fürstenfeldbruck failed.
- 6 September 1972The Games paused for a memorial service.
- September 2022At the 50th anniversary Germany reached a compensation deal with families.
Sources
- Britannica — Munich massacre britannica.com ↗
- NPR — 50 years ago, Munich Olympics massacre changed how we think about terrorism npr.org ↗
- Britannica
- NPR
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.