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The 1972 Summer Olympics -

The Games of the XX Olympiad, otherwise known as the 1972 Summer Olympics, were held in Munich, Germany, from August 26 to September 11.

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The Games get underway -

Thousands of athletes from more than 120 countries celebrated the opening ceremonies of what the organizers had dubbed Die Heiteren Spiele ("The Cheerful Games").

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Remembering the victims of Nazism -

Among those competing were athletes from Israel. On September 1, the Israeli Olympic team commemorated the victims of Nazi terror during a visit to the former Dachau concentration camp, located just outside Munich.

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The attack begins -

But at 4:10 am local time on September 5 during the second week of the Games, eight tracksuit-clad members of the Black September faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) snuck into the Olympic Village.

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Forced entry -

The Palestinian militants then forced their way into the quarters of the Israeli Olympic team at 31 Connollystrasse.

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The Israeli athletes caught up in the horror -

In the ensuing struggle, Moshe Weinberg, a wrestling coach, was shot and killed. Weightlifter Yossef Romano also lost his life. Nine other athletes were taken hostage. Pictured are the 11 Israeli athletes and coaches. They are (top left to right): Yossef Gutfreund, Moshe Weinberg, Yossef Romano, David Berger, Mark Slavin, and Yakov Springer. Bottom left to right: Ze'ev Friedman, Amitzur Shapira, Eliezer Halfin, Kehat Shorr, and Andre Spitzer.

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Standoff -

A standoff ensued. The gunmen demanded the release of more than 200 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

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Negotiations begin -

They also insisted on the freeing of Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof of the Red Army Faction from German prisons and the liberation of Kōzō Okamoto of the Japanese Red Army, responsible for the massacre of 26 passengers at Ben-Gurion International Airport in Israel on May 30, 1972.

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Global news coverage -

Within a matter of hours, photographers, journalists, and television crews had gathered near the Olympic Village.

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Aborted rescue attempt -

A planned rescue attempt had to be aborted after West German police were seen during a live TV broadcast maneuvering into position above the apartments where the hostages were being held.

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More demands -

Talks between the hostage-takers and the authorities continued. The gunmen widened their demands to include the provision of a passenger aircraft to fly them to a safe destination in the Middle East.

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High-level negotiating delegation -

Heading the German negotiating delegation was Hans-Dietrich Genscher, minister of the interior. He rejected an offer to send an Israeli special forces unit to Germany to deal with the crisis.

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The situation remains unresolved -

Instead, he offered himself as a hostage under the condition that the Israeli athletes would be released. This proposal was also turned down, as was the offer of an unlimited ransom.

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An agreement is reached -

With the Games suspended, the gunmen issued an ultimatum, reiterating their demands for the release of prisoners in Israeli and German jails. Finally at about 10 pm on September 5, believing they had reached an agreement, the terrorists led their hostages out of the complex and onto buses, which would ferry them to waiting helicopters.

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Flying into an ambush -

The destination was Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base, 15 miles (25 km) west of the Olympic Village. There, a plane had been 'readied' for takeoff to Cairo. But it was all part of an elaborate and highly dangerous rescue plan.

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Police snipers take aim -

The helicopters landed at Fürstenfeldbruck and straight into an ambush. Police snipers were stationed at strategic points around the airfield.

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The deception is revealed -

Two of the gunmen had alighted one of the helicopters to inspect the plane, only to find it empty of personnel. Realizing they'd been tricked, they ran back to the helicopters.

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Massacre -

Aware of the deception, the terrorists alerted their comrades, at which point West German police fired upon them. In the ensuing gun battle, the hostages were all killed, as was a Bavarian policeman, Anton Fliegerbauer. Five of the terrorists also died.

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The victims -

The remains of the Israeli victims of the attack were laid out in the Munich synagogue.

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Munich on high alert -

In the wake of the massacre, Munich was put on high alert. Armored police vehicles were deployed throughout the Olympic Village and on city streets.

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Memorial ceremony -

The following day, September 6, the Olympic flag was flown at half mast as a memorial ceremony for the Israeli victims got underway.

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Paying tribute -

Surviving members of the Israeli team walked together into the stadium to pay tribute to their murdered countrymen.

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Solemn address -

Gustav Heinemann, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, gave a solemn address during the ceremony as he paid homage to the slain athletes.

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The Games will go on! -

The atmosphere at the Olympic stadium was grim. Avery Brundage, chairman of the Olympic Committee, declared a "day of mourning," adding that the Games would recommence the following day. "We will not let a handful of terrorists disrupt the Olympic spirit," he said.

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Repatriation -

On September 7 at Munich-Riem Airport, members of the Israeli Olympic team boarded an EL AL special flight along with the coffins containing the remains of their dead colleagues.

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The athletes arrive home -

Pictured: the scene at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv after the repatriation of the athletes' remains.

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Burying the dead -

Pictured: the mother of one of the slain Israeli athletes grieves for her son at his funeral. It was the first time the modern state of Israel had sent athletes to the Olympics.

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Munich massacre memorial -

On September 6, 2017, a new memorial to commemorate the 1972 terror attack at the Olympics was inaugurated in Munich.

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In memoriam -

The memorial is located near the former Olympic Village in a park, and stands partially submerged with the ground. The site is dedicated to the 12 victims of the atrocity—the 11 Israelis and the Bavarian policeman.

Sources: (Britannica) (Jewish Telegraphic Agency) 

See also: These are the countries most affected by terrorism

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