Germany's famous Oktoberfest festival reopened on Wednesday evening after authorities concluded a major security operation without finding any specific threat. The incident follows a serious incident in Munich, where explosives were found in an apartment and a gunfight that left at least one person dead.
Munich police had temporarily closed the Oktoberfest area, responding to a suspected threat related to the discovery of explosives in a residential building in the northern part of the city. In addition to the explosives, the incident also involved shooting between family members. A Munich police spokesman told the media that nothing unusual had been found to reinforce the scenario of a specific threat to the festival. About 30 sniffer dogs from across Bavaria took part in the search. After completing the investigation, authorities allowed the festival to reopen at 5:30 p.m. local time (15:30 GMT). According to the official Oktoberfest website, the festival will continue until October 5th.
Despite the reopening, the atmosphere was not that typical of a holiday: the Ferris wheel and festival train remained motionless, while many visitors dressed in traditional costumes stood anxiously outside the security perimeter.
Oktoberfest is one of the world's largest beer festivals. Last year alone, it attracted over 6.7 million visitors, who consumed around 7 million liters of beer. The festival kicked off on September 20 and is expected to last until October 5.
