1 of 2 | Two damaged cars are shown at the scene after explosive devices were found in a burning house in Munich, Germany, on Wednesday. The Oktoberfest grounds in Munich will remain closed until 5:30 p.m. local time, following a bomb threat, police said. Photo by Vifogra/EPA
Oct. 1 (UPI) — Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, was closed Wednesday after a bomb threat and an explosion in a residential building that also damaged nearby cars.
At least one man is dead.
Special forces were sent to Lerchenau, a northern area of Munich, where residents reported shots and explosions. Oktoberfest is on the west side of the city.
There had been a bomb threat from the suspected attacker early Wednesday, city officials said. Munich police said the explosion was part of a domestic dispute and the building had been “deliberately set on fire.”
Munich police said on X that the Oktoberfest grounds, Theresienwiese, have been fully searched, and there was no danger found. It said Oktoberfest would reopen at 5:30 p.m. CEST.
A man was found severely injured near Lerchenau Lake, and he later died, police said. Another person was missing. It wasn’t clear if the person who died was the suspected attacker.
“I woke up around 5:00 because there were a few bangs. I got up, looked, and then there was a fire,” The Independent reported a resident said.
A middle school near the scene was closed, and police diverted traffic from the area.
Munich mayor Dieter Reiter said the closure of the festival followed “a perpetrator threatening the Oktoberfest.”
Oktoberfest, known as “the Wiesn” by locals, runs from Sept. 20 to Oct. 5. It’s the world’s largest beer and folk festival.