NHD Documentary, January 28, 2008.
The Munich massacre is an informal name for events that occurred during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Bavaria in Southern Germany, when members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and eventually murdered by the terrorist group Black September. Members of Black September contended that Yasser Arafat’s Fatah organization secretly endorsed the operation. Fatah, however, disputed the accusation. Black September called the operation “Ikrit and Biram”, after two Christian Palestinian villages whose inhabitants were killed or expelled by the Hagannah in 1948.
By the end of the ordeal, the terrorists had killed 11 Israeli athletes and coaches and 1 West German police officer. Five of the eight members of Black September were killed by police officers during a failed rescue attempt. The three surviving terrorists were captured, but later released by West Germany following the hijacking by Black September of a Lufthansa airliner. Israel responded to the massacre with Operation Spring of Youth and Operation Wrath of God, as well as a series of airstrikes and killings of those suspected of planning the kidnappings.
