Oktoberfest will open its doors at 17:30 after the start of the beer festival was delayed on Wednesday morning following an explosion in a nearby home and a bomb threat, as announced by Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter on Instagram.
In the early hours of Wednesday, at 04:41, emergency services received a call after residents in the Lerchenau district of northern Munich reported hearing explosions or gunfire and seeing flames.
According to the police, the incident appears to revolve around a family dispute in which the suspect's 21-year-old daughter and 81-year-old mother were injured. They were taken to the hospital.
The suspected perpetrator, a German man, is thought to have died by suicide. He is believed to have set fire to the house in the north of Munich and placed booby traps. The police are investigating whether there were other people in the house.
During the investigation, police found explosives in a rucksack belonging to the alleged perpetrator of the fire. A letter written by the suspect was also found near the scene of the crime. It contained a non-specific threat of an explosive attack in reference to the Oktoberfest
Earlier in the day, it was reported that one person was missing. German media report that the man's father was murdered, but the police have not yet confirmed this.
Shortly before 16:00, Mayor Reiter announced that the event grounds would reopen at 17:30, after the police informed him that it was safe to continue the event.
Oktoberfest runs from 20 September to 5 October and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every day.
Anyone having suicidal thoughts can contact the Suicide Prevention Centre hotline at 0800/32/123. The service is anonymous, free and available 24/7. More information can be found here.
The English mental health support (CHS) Helpline can be reached at 0264/84/014. The French-speaking Un pass dans l'impasse helpline can be reached at 0817/77/150. In Flanders, the helpline 1813 can be reached 24/7.
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This article was updated at 16:22.
