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Palestinian militants took 11 members of the Israeli delegation hostage inside the Olympic village in Munich, Germany, on September 5, 1972. The terrorists, who claimed to be part of the Black September movement, were demanding the liberation of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. After killing two hostages, they negotiated for a plane to take them out of the country. But a German police operation to rescue the Israelis went horribly wrong. In the end, all the hostages were killed, along with five of the eight attackers and a German police officer.
Inside the Olympic stadium, the equestrian dressage was taking place as planned even as the drama unfolded. The following day the Games were suspended for 24 hours in tribute to the victims.
Just a month later, the three surviving attackers were freed as part of a hostage exchange as other Black September sympathisers took a Lufthansa jet hostage.
At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the slain Israeli athletes were honoured at the Games’ opening ceremony. As for the families of the Israeli victims, they had to wait until the 50th anniversary of the attack to conclude a financial settlement with the German government. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier apologised on September 5 of this year for the mistakes made both during and after the attack and asked for “forgiveness”.
FRANCE 24’s Anne Maillet and Gwendoline Debono revisit the tragedy of the Munich Olympics, five decades on.
>> Germany asks for ‘forgiveness’ 50 years after Munich Olympics attack
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