Origins On 5 September 1972, Palestinian terrorists affiliated with Black September infiltrated the Summer Olympic Games in Munich, West Germany. They kidnapped 11 Israeli athletes, murdering two during the initial assault on the athletes' rooms in the Olympic Village. The unprecedented incident culminated when the regular Bavarian State Police, who were neither trained nor equipped for counter-terrorism operations and had underestimated the number of militants involved, attempted to rescue the athletes. The Police did not have a specialized tactical sniper team at that time. The German army had snipers, but the German Constitution did not permit the use of the German Armed Forces on German soil during peacetime.
Origins On 5 September 1972 Palestinian terrorists affiliated with Black September infiltrated the Summer Olympic Games in Munich West Germany They kidnapped 11 Israeli athletes murdering two during the initial assault on the athletes' rooms in the Olympic Village The unprecedented incident culminated when the regular Bavarian State Police who were neither trained nor equipped for counter-terrorism operations and had underestimated the number of militants involved attempted to rescue the athletes The Police did not have a specialized tactical sniper team at that time The German army had snipers but the German Constitution did not permit the use of the German Armed Forces on German soil during peacetime