Gun shots heard near Israel’s consulate general in Munich: reports

German police shot dead a suspect on Thursday on a street near Israel's Consulate General in Munich, Bavaria's interior minister has said.

"The man was carrying a long gun and had fired a number of shots," Joachim Herrmann told reporters, adding that police forces were alerted who responded to the threat very quickly.

The minister said the incident occurred near a museum on the Nazi regime's crimes, which was close to the American cultural center Amerikahaus, and Israel's Consulate General in the city center.

He said the identity of the suspect and his motive were not immediately clear, and an investigation was underway to gather more information.

Earlier on Thursday, Munich police posted a brief statement on social media, saying that officers fired shots at a suspicious person in the Karolinenplat, and asked people to avoid the area.

The streets around Israel's consulate general were cordoned off by police immediately, and special police units were deployed in the area as a precaution.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said no diplomats or staff were hurt in the incident.

It said the Consulate General was already closed to commemorate the death of Israeli athletes in an attack by a Palestinian group during the 1972 Olympics in Munich.