The German city police in Munich say that the place where the Oktoberfest takes place has been temporarily closed due to possible links with an explosion and a fire in a house rigged with explosives.
A seriously injured man was found in a neighboring lake and died later.
Mayor Dieter Reiter said that the festival site would remain closed until at least 5:00 p.m. local time (3:00 p.m. GMT) on Wednesday due to an unpertified threat of bomb.
A large -scale emergency operation was underway in Lerchenau in the north of Munich. Police said potential links in other places were under investigation, including the annual beer festival site.
A possible link with the left antifa movement has also been studied after a message has been published online claiming to be behind several incidents in the north of Munich. Police later said that there was nothing to suggest a link and that the message was “Copycates’ work”.
Oktoberfest takes place from September 20 to October 5 and it has already attracted more than 3.5 million visitors. It is described both as the biggest festival folk and beer in the world.
Police investigating Lerchenau’s fire said they thought that a residential building had been deliberately lit as part of a family dispute. The nearby cars were also on fire.
Special forces have been deployed to defuse traps at home.
“The injured person who has been found has died since. Another person has been missing, but he is not supposed to represent a danger,” they added.
“Crazy traps have also been found in the affected building. Special forces have been called to defuse them.”
Many emergency staff are on site.
