1972Reputable sourceWell documented

The Munich Massacre

On the timeline · around 1972 · The Global Games

What happened

At the 1972 Munich Olympics, members of the Palestinian group Black September broke into the Olympic Village, killed two Israeli team members, and took nine others hostage. After a botched rescue attempt at a nearby airfield, all nine hostages, five of the attackers, and a German police officer were killed. The Games were paused, then resumed.

Why it matters

The Munich massacre was a watershed in the history of terrorism, broadcast live to a global television audience. It shattered the Olympic ideal of peaceful gathering and spurred nations to build the modern counter-terrorism and security apparatus.

Sources

U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian. The Olympic Attack and the Anti-Terrorism Initiatives (FRUS 1969–1976) · Reputable source

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