German police kill man after exchange of fire near Israeli consulate in Munich

German police shot dead a gunman in Munich on Thursday in an exchange of fire close to the Israeli consulate.

Police said the man, 18, was an Austrian national who fired shots from an old carbine rifle with a bayonet in Munich's Maxvorstadt district. He was killed in a shootout with five officers.

The incident took place on the anniversary of the 1972 attack at the Munich Olympics in which Palestinian fighters killed 11 Israeli athletes. "There may be a connection between the two," Bavarian state premier Markus Soeder said, adding that the link was being investigated.

Israel's foreign ministry said its Munich consulate was closed on Thursday for a commemoration of the 1972 Olympics massacre, and that none of its staff were injured in the incident. 

"The protection of Israeli facilities has top priority," German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said. 

Josef Schuster, head of Germany's Central Council for Jews, said: "We don't know all the background yet. What we do know leaves us in shock."