What happened to the terrorists at the Munich Olympics?

On August 26, 1972, the 20th Olympic Games was held in Munich, West Germany. In the week before the Games, people saw enthusiastic comments about the conference from the media many times: it was a "peaceful and joyful event." It is true that this was the largest and most expensive event in the history of the Olympic Games at that time, with more athletes and more countries represented than any other event before. Israel also sent the largest delegation so far that year - although some people still have the physical and mental scars left by the Nazi concentration camps in Germany, they appear to be very interested in participating in the Olympics.

In the first week of the Games, the athletes performed impressively, and people were immersed in the peace and joy of the Olympic Games. However, behind this peaceful event, there are huge hidden worries: In order to meet the huge investment needs for purchasing advanced sports equipment, relevant policymakers have reduced expenditures on security personnel and security facilities. For West German officials who have worked hard to host the Olympic Games, they hope that the Games will convince the world that West Germany has restored its image as a civilized country and that people should erase the legacy left by World War II and the 1936 Berlin Olympics during the Hitler era. shadow. West Germany's border guards and important transportation terminals have generally relaxed inspections of people entering and exiting, which gave terrorists an opportunity.

"Black September" launched terrorist actions

On September 4, 1972, the Israeli team did not compete. Most of the athletes rested in the Olympic Village and went out to watch movies in the evening. After watching the movie, the Israeli athletes returned to the Olympic Village one after another. At about 4 a.m. on the 5th, while they were still sleeping, eight vague figures suddenly appeared outside the Olympic Village. Carrying heavy sports bags, they quietly walked towards a section of fence next to gate 25A.

These eight people are members of a terrorist organization called "Black September". Carrying submachine guns and grenades, they jumped over the fence and headed straight for their designated target—Building 31 in the Olympic Village where Israeli athletes live. They chose to enter from here because they had inspected it before and knew that some athletes were drunk outside and often climbed over this 2-meter-high fence when they came back, and the security guards would not stop them at all. The eight terrorists wore tracksuits as disguises. By today's standards, the security work of the Munich Olympics is really a joke: the entire Olympic Village is only blocked by a thin layer of barbed wire. When athletes come back late, they are willing to climb over the barbed wire and take a shortcut home. In addition, there are no cameras, detectors, or roadblocks in the Olympic Village. There are a few security guards at the entrance, but they are not equipped with weapons! These terrorists also made careful preparations in advance: One terrorist had worked as a construction worker during the construction of the Olympic Village and knew the Olympic Village well. The other had sneaked into the Olympic Village the day before the incident and conducted detailed reconnaissance of the floors where Israeli athletes lived. .

They took up positions outside Apartment 1, where several Israelis lived, and then opened the door with the keys they had prepared in advance. Their actions were noticed by an Israeli athlete inside the house. The terrorists then fought with the Israeli athletes. 25 minutes later, two Israeli athletes were killed and the remaining nine were taken hostage.

During the fight between the two sides, the Olympic Village security authorities received some calls from passers-by, but they did not pay enough attention. The struggle continued intermittently, and after a few gunshots and heart-rending cries, everything returned to calm. People who had just woken up from their sleep could not figure out what the trouble was, because in the Olympic Village, there were various celebrations almost every night, and people often set off firecrackers and fireworks for noisy fun.

At around 4:55, an unarmed West German security policeman came to inspect the situation. He turned on the walkie-talkie and muttered to a turbaned terrorist standing in front of 31 Connally Street: "What the hell is going on?" The man slipped behind the apartment door without saying a word.

The hostage rescue operation failed.

At 5 a.m., Munich Police Chief Manfred Schreiber was awakened by an alarm call in his sleep, so he hurriedly organized manpower to deal with the crisis.

At 5:10, the West German authorities began an operation to rescue the hostages. During the confrontation between the two sides, "Black September" issued an ultimatum. They demanded the release of 234 prisoners held in Israel and two prisoners in West German prisons; the deadline was 9 a.m. on the 5th, and the killings began after the deadline. But then, the "Black September" elements repeatedly revised the deadline.

At 9 o'clock, International Olympic Committee President Kilanen and Chairman of the Olympic Organizing Committee Daumer issued a joint announcement, announcing that all competitions would be suspended from the afternoon of September 5.

The West German government responded to the "ultimatum" and stated that it could agree to their demands, but that further negotiations must be conducted on the details. The West German police wanted to buy time to prepare for storming into Building 31 to rescue the hostages.

At 18:35 in the evening, the two sides had their first direct contact. The West German Interior Minister, the Munich Police Chief and the Olympic Village Mayor entered Building 31 and witnessed the hijackers' desperate determination, so they decided to change their original plan to rush into the building to rescue the hostages.

The police then agreed to the gangsters' request, transported them and the hostages to Egypt by plane, and decided to conduct a rescue operation at Munich Airport.

From 20:30 to 21:00, West Germany sent three helicopters.

As Black September fighters walked across the tarmac, the commander in charge of the operation gave the order to open fire. Two snipers fired two bullets, and the two gangsters monitoring the helicopter pilot fell to the ground. The airport suddenly became chaotic. A fierce battle ensued.

The gun battle lasted for more than an hour before it ended. While the police were counting the bodies, five gangsters were shot dead, one West German police officer died, and several police officers were injured. All nine Israeli hostages were killed by terrorists.

On September 6, there was solemnity in the Olympic Stadium. When the second movement of Beethoven's "Eroica Symphony" was played, many athletes couldn't help but burst into tears.

In memory of the 11 victims, 11 seats were left empty. The surviving Israelis could barely contain themselves at this memorial ceremony.

On September 7, the Olympic Games resumed competition.

After the rescue operation failed, public opinion around the world was in an uproar. They accused the West German police of being incompetent and criticized the West German government for "treating the lives of the hostages as child's play." This terrorist incident caused West Germany to suffer great shame and humiliation, and also made the West German government feel a sense of crisis in response to the increasing international terrorist activities.

Since then, the issue of event security has been raised to an unprecedented level

Although five terrorists were killed in the terrorist attack, no one would doubt that the Munich incident was A "success" for terrorists, and it will induce other terrorist organizations to target the Olympic Games.

On the other hand, the bloody scene of the Munich Olympics also awakened the organizers' awareness of security and made them see that combating terrorism is also a crucial part of hosting the Olympics. In subsequent Olympics and other major events, organizers have increased investment in safety measures.