1/ During the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich Germany, Israel was participating with a delegation of 15 athletes.
On the morning of Sept 5, 1972, members of the Palestinian terror group Black September, scaled the wall of the Olympic compound, and made their way to the Israelis.
On the morning of Sept 5, 1972, members of the Palestinian terror group Black September, scaled the wall of the Olympic compound, and made their way to the Israelis.
2/ Quickly, 8 members of the terrorst group took 9 members of the Israeli Olympic team hostage, after killing 2 of them, along with a West German police officer.
3/ Shortly after the hostages were taken, the leader, Luttif Atif, demanded the release of 234 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and the West German held founders of the Red Army Faction, Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof.
4/ After hours of negotiations, the Palestinians agreed to a plan where they'd be taken by helicopter to a NATO air base nearby, where they'd be given a plane to fly them and the hostages to Cairo. In the meantime, the Germans had made a plan to kill the terrorists at the airport
5/ When the helicopters landed at 10pm, German sharpshooters tried to kill the terrorists. A firefight ensued, during which time 1 of the terrorists detonated a grenade in the first helicopter, killing all on board. The remaining hostages in the 2nd helicopter were shot to death.
6/ At 3am on Sept 6, 1972, a teary eyed Jim McKay who'd been reporting the drama throughout the day for ABC announced "They're all gone." All the hostages had been killed.
5 of the terrorists were killed, and 3 were captured
5 of the terrorists were killed, and 3 were captured
7/ The names of the Israeli hostages murdered were:
Moshe Weinberg
Yossef Romano
Yossef Gutfreund
David Berger
Yacov Springer
Zeev Friedman
Amitzur Shapira
Eliezer Halfin
Mark Slavin
Andre Spitzer
Kehat Shorr.
May their memories be a blessing
Moshe Weinberg
Yossef Romano
Yossef Gutfreund
David Berger
Yacov Springer
Zeev Friedman
Amitzur Shapira
Eliezer Halfin
Mark Slavin
Andre Spitzer
Kehat Shorr.
May their memories be a blessing
8/ In Oct 1972, a Lufthansa jet was hijacked, with the terrorists demanding that the 3 Munich terrorists be released. The Germans relented, and freed them.
However, an Israeli hit squad was assembled at the order of @IsraeliPM Golda Meir, tasked with killing them.
However, an Israeli hit squad was assembled at the order of @IsraeliPM Golda Meir, tasked with killing them.
9/ According to reports, 8 of the 11 men the Israelis targeted to kill were killed. Of the remaining 3, one died of natural causes, and the other 2 were assassinated, but it is unsure by whom.
10/ The Olympics in 1972 continued despite the brutal murders of the Israeli athletes.
In 2016, widows of 2 of those killed, Ilana Romano and Ankie Spitzer, traveled to Rio de Janeiro to participate in a memorial ceremony at those olympics, along with a moment of silence.
In 2016, widows of 2 of those killed, Ilana Romano and Ankie Spitzer, traveled to Rio de Janeiro to participate in a memorial ceremony at those olympics, along with a moment of silence.
11/ The @iocmedia IOC also inaugurated a new tradition in honour of the athletes: a place of mourning to be established at every future olympics in the olympic village.
In Sept 2017, a memorial monument was opened at the grounds of the Munich Olympics.
In Sept 2017, a memorial monument was opened at the grounds of the Munich Olympics.
12/ The athletes were all buried in Israel.
