The attack was carried out by members of the radical Palestinian organization “Black September.” Early in the morning, at 4:10, eight armed terrorists broke into the residence of the Israeli delegation in the Munich Olympic Village, shot two athletes on the spot, and took another nine hostages. The terrorists demanded the release of members of the Palestine Liberation Organization imprisoned in Israel and several Western European countries.

The attempt by the German police to free the hostages on their own ended in tragedy. During the operation, all nine hostages were killed. One German police officer also died. Two terrorists were killed and three were detained.

The morning after the tragedy, a memorial service for the deceased Israelis was held in the Olympic village. After the tragic events, the Israeli intelligence agency “Mossad” began the search for the organizers of the Munich attack — the operation “Wrath of God,” aimed at eliminating the organizers and participants of the attack.

Unfortunately, the International Olympic Committee tends to consign the Munich tragedy to oblivion. The IOC refuses to include moments of silence or memorial ceremonies in the official opening ceremonies, citing the tradition of neutrality. This is difficult to agree with, considering the policy of turning a blind eye to the increasing anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic manifestations, especially at the last Olympics in France.

In the photo: A memorial plaque in memory of the deceased Israeli athletes in front of the building in the Olympic village where they lived during the XX Olympics in Munich in 1972.