---
title: "Munich Olympic Massacre"
year: 1972
country: "Germany"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1972/munich-olympics-massacre"
slug: "munich-olympics-massacre"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1972-09-05"
endDate: "1972-09-06"
---

# Munich Olympic Massacre

> Palestinian gunmen took Israeli athletes hostage during the Munich Olympics, killing 11 in a siege that shattered the Games' peaceful ideal.

On September 5, 1972, members of the Palestinian group Black September took Israeli athletes hostage at the Munich Olympics. The siege lasted 21 hours. By the time it ended, 11 Israelis—two killed during the initial takeover, nine during a failed rescue attempt—were dead, along with five of the eight militants.

## Summary

The Munich massacre was a terrorist attack during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, carried out by eight members of the Palestinian militant organisation Black September. The militants infiltrated the Olympic Village, killed two members of the Israeli Olympic team, and took nine other Israeli team members hostage. Those hostages were later also killed by the militants during a failed rescue attempt.

## Sources

- [Munich Olympic Massacre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_massacre) - Wikipedia

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/1972/munich-olympics-massacre