German police closed the Oktoberfest fairgrounds on Wednesday morning following a bomb threat from the suspected perpetrator of an explosion in northern Munich, city officials said. At least one person's death was believed to be connected to the blast at a residential building early Wednesday, which Munich police said was deliberately set on fire during a domestic dispute, per the AP. It wasn't immediately clear whether the deceased was the suspected perpetrator or someone else. Another person, who wasn't considered to be a danger to the public, remains missing.
Specialized teams were called to the scene to defuse booby traps in the building, police said. Photos from the area also showed a burned-out van. Officials discovered the bomb threat to Oktoberfest in a letter from the alleged perpetrator. Police searched the fairgrounds for other explosive devices and asked workers to leave the area. Authorities said the festival will be closed at least until 5pm local time on Wednesday.
This year's Oktoberfest, which began on Sept. 20 and ends Sunday, is the world's largest beer festival, usually attracting up to 6 million visitors. Forty-five years ago, Oktoberfest was the target of a deadly neo-Nazi attack. The bombing on the evening of Sept. 26, 1980, claimed 13 lives, including those of three children and the attacker, student Gundolf Koehler, a supporter of a banned far-right group. More than 200 people were wounded.