Terror Threats In Germany Prompt Flight Ban Over Oktoberfest

BERLIN — German authorities banned all flights over Munich's annual Oktoberfest beer festival on Saturday after a series of Islamic terror threats targeted Germany for its role in Afghanistan.

Some 6 million visitors a year pack the massive tents that dot Munich's sprawling 77-acre (31-hectare) Theresienwiese beer garden during the 16-day festival known across the globe. This year's event began Sept. 19.

The ban – a measure normally reserved for high-ranking state visits – is to remain in place through the end of the festival on Oct. 4.

Islamic terror groups such as al-Qaida and the Taliban have directed threatening videos and audio messages at Germany in the past two weeks as citizens prepared to vote Sunday in national elections. The latest video, released by the Taliban late Friday, included pictures of Oktoberfest and threatened attacks on Germany in revenge for its military presence in Afghanistan.

"Given the current security situation, we view a flight ban as necessary," the top security official in the state of Bavaria, Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann, said Saturday.

Oktoberfest has been targeted in the past – Saturday's festival opened with a minute of silence to honor the victims of a bomb attack that killed 13 people and injured 200 others on Sept. 26, 1980.

Every year, visitors down more than 1.6 million gallons (six million liters) of beer and consume 500,000 chickens and 100 oxen at the festival. The Munich tourist bureau estimates the fall celebration brings roughly euro1 million ($1.47 million) into the city's coffers each year.

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On the Net:

http://www.oktoberfest.de

Comments

[keepemhonest]

03:17 PM on 09/27/2009

Merkle learned from "W" - sound the alarm for T E R R O R right before an election.

[Ergon]

02:12 PM on 09/27/2009

Funny how these "threats" showed up just before the election. Couldn't the government just burn down the Reichstag again?

[sloreader]

07:08 PM on 09/26/2009

Terrorizing lager lovers, for the love of ...., what could possibly be next?

[BigBrickHouse]

05:06 PM on 09/26/2009

Well, I'm just glad that the crazy Islamic millitants hate all non-muslims with the same passion. To fight their "enemies" they have to spread themselves all around the world, so they are spread thin, and can't accomplish much mass damage.

[toxicbrainpoison]

04:52 PM on 09/26/2009

So unfair. Militant Islamists really gotta start drinkin. They don't know what their missing. Trust me Germans know about a good brew.

[Iccarus]

04:49 PM on 09/26/2009

I feel bad for my fellow grass roots aviation home builder types in Germany. It would be a great stunt to tow an Otoberfest Banner ove the buzzed crowd with a microlight or something perhaps naked even, but I guess those times are gone.

[sloreader]

07:05 PM on 09/26/2009

Even if they can't tip their wings they can still tip a stein or two.

[SolnzeUSB]

01:07 PM on 09/26/2009

I wonder the color codes of terrorist threats in "beer"? Ale to Stout?

[Iccarus]

04:39 PM on 09/26/2009

mmmmmm beeeeeeeer.

[den1953]

12:55 PM on 09/26/2009

Here's the plan Germany get the terrorist drunk as skunks then they''ll throw the trigger mechanism and hold the bomb brilliant i tells ya!!! Just saying.

[chensamabindicka]

12:42 PM on 09/26/2009

George Bush still sees himself as too pretty to go to prison. So who's disrupting Oktoberest? Terrorists yes. Which set?

[GrizzlyBowman]

11:45 AM on 09/26/2009

Be afraid. Be very afraid!

There will be no oxen burger for foreigners flying in this year.

[TrishaZzz]

11:35 AM on 09/26/2009

Don't forget we are having Bundestag elections tomorrow. And our Secretary of Interior is also in charge of raising thread levels. Sounds familiar, uh? ;-)

[Bernique]

04:13 PM on 09/26/2009

Yes, Trisha, what a coincidence ...

[mergina]

11:26 AM on 09/26/2009

So Bin Laden can disrupt the free world with a video now. Why bother planning attacks?

[Harrier]

10:58 AM on 09/26/2009

Actually a blessing...If the party pully out of everything a lot could be done.

[Pat15]

10:48 AM on 09/26/2009

whenever a religion is mixed with politics ..it results in warped sense of righteouness .. this is the problem Muslims have ..They condone it & as a result leads to terrorism in today world ... unless the Muslim countries condemn it & correct it ...it will not change .. In all this terror war since 2001 pakistan is the key culprit country ... unless world demands accountability from them ..it will be long war .. On the other side Iran is the key culprit in palestine but Israeli know how to deal with them .. World need to bring pakistan in line & force them to change their behavior ...Nothing will change ...

[toxicbrainpoison]

04:56 PM on 09/26/2009

Israel does have a problem with Iran but I doubt very much Iran cares what happens to the Palestinians. Because there are Christian and Jewish Palestinians and I doubt Ahmedinajad cares what happens to them!

[sneakerlite17]

10:29 AM on 09/26/2009

How do you say "reconquista" in German?

Mus lims need to be "escorted" out of Germany.

Germany for the German people.

¡Europa para los Europeos!

[jlab]

04:01 PM on 09/26/2009

Your thinking reminds me of a period in German history that's roughly 70 years old.

[toxicbrainpoison]

04:58 PM on 09/26/2009

No listen. Spain already did that. They ordered all the non Christians out and look what happened. An endless religious war took place and the witch burning followed the settlers to the United States. That is terrible. Especially because in the real Reconquista the Christians forgot how the Mulims respected the people of Spain and atleast tolerated people of different faiths. Europe is a melting pot like it or not and Europeans are a mixed bag so get over it.