Oktoberfest closed after bomb threat linked to deadly explosion in Munich

The Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich was closed on Wednesday morning following a bomb threat from the suspected perpetrator of an explosion at a residential building in the north of the city that killed at least one person, according to authorities.

Police said the building had been deliberately set on fire in a domestic dispute. It was not immediately clear if the deceased was the suspected perpetrator or someone else. Another person, who was not considered to be a danger to the public, remained missing.

A major police and fire department operation got underway in the early hours of the morning after a blaze was reported at a detached house in northern Munich.

According to several German media reports, gunshots and explosions were heard.

Police said that booby traps were discovered in the building, and that special forces had been called in to defuse them.

Officials discovered the bomb threat to Oktoberfest in a letter from the alleged perpetrator. The authorities searched the beer festival's fairgrounds for other explosive devices and asked workers to leave the area.

"Due to an unspecified bomb threat related to the operation in northern Munich, the festival grounds at Theresienwiese will remain closed for the time being until 17:00," Munich police wrote on X.

Oktoberfest's website gave the same update.

This year’s Oktoberfest began on 20 September and ends on 5 October. The world’s largest beer festival usually attracts up to 6 million visitors.