Munich Oktoberfest closed after several explosions in the city
At least one person has died in a house fire where incendiary devices were found.
BarcelonaMunich City Council has decided to close Oktoberfest, the world's largest beer festival, which had been held since September 20, due to a "verified bomb alert." Several explosions have occurred in the north of the city, causing a fire with one fatality, and some threats have also been received: Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter has spoken of "a letter that must be taken very seriously."
"We cannot risk opening Oktoberfest," Reiter told the city council, according to media outlets such as the Munich Merkur, and therefore the area around Theresienwiese (Prat de Teresa), which hosts this major festival every year, will remain closed until at least 5:00 p.m. this afternoon.
According to the aforementioned Bavarian media outlet, it is suspected that the alert may be related to incidents reported in northern Munich, where explosions and noises similar to gunshots have been heard. In addition, a single-family home caught fire, leaving at least one person dead. The letter the mayor was referring to is related to these incidents, according to the Efe news agency, which is why he has decided to act at the Oktoberfest, which is visited by tens of thousands of Germans and tourists every day.
The alleged author of the letter is supposedly responsible for the explosions. "We are currently investigating in all directions. Possible connections to other locations in Munich, including Theresienwiese, are being examined. Therefore, the opening of the fairgrounds has been delayed," police reported on their X account. In previous messages, the police had reported the discovery of an injured person, who later died and who could be related to the events. According to police sources, the house had been intentionally set on fire, allegedly in the context of a family dispute, although this last point has not yet been verified.
In addition, booby traps were found in this same house and special forces had to be called in to deactivate them. A second person is listed as missing, although according to the police, they do not pose any danger to the population, reports Efe.
