In Munich, Germany, the opening of Oktoberfest has been postponed due to a bomb threat related to an explosion and fire at a residential property, which resulted in one fatality. Mayor Dieter Reiter announced that the Theresienwiese site would remain closed until at least 17:00 (15:00 GMT) on Wednesday as authorities manage the situation.
An extensive emergency operation is currently taking place in the Lerchenau district of northern Munich, initiated by a fire in a single-family home. Residents in the area reported hearing an explosion. Police are exploring possible connections to other locations, including the Oktoberfest festival site.
Investigations also included looking into a potential link with the leftist Antifa movement, prompted by an online message claiming responsibility for various incidents in northern Munich. However, police later determined that this message was not credible and attributed it to individuals attempting to imitate genuine threats.
Oktoberfest, which runs from September 20 to October 5, is known as the world’s largest folk and beer festival and has already attracted over 3.5 million visitors.
Police believe that the fire in Lerchenau was set intentionally as part of a family dispute, leading to the injuries of individuals inside the building. One injured person has since died, while another individual remains missing but is not thought to be in danger. Authorities also reported the discovery of booby traps within the affected residence, necessitating the involvement of special forces to safely defuse them. Numerous emergency personnel are present at the scene as investigations continue.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3rv2pv20rvo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss