Oktoberfest tightens security measures after fatal knife attack in West Germany

MUNICH — Security has been tightened at Oktoberfest following last month's deadly knife attack in western Germany. Officials are warning revelers to expect longer lines at the entrance because metal detectors will be used for the first time in the Bavarian beer festival's 189-year history.

According to the authorities, there is no specific threat to the world's largest folk festival, which begins on Saturday with the traditional tapping of the keg in Munich and lasts until October 6. Around six million participants are expected during the entire event, many of them in lederhosen and dirndls.

The increased security measures come after an attack on August 23 in Solingen that left three people dead and eight injured. A 26-year-old Syrian suspect was arrested. He was an asylum seeker who was due to be deported to Bulgaria last year but reportedly went into hiding for a while and evaded deportation. The militant terrorist group Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the violence without providing evidence.

The violence has shaken Germany and put immigration back at the top of the country's political agenda. In response, the Interior Ministry this week extended temporary border controls at all nine of its borders. The controls are set to last for six months and threaten to test European unity.

The effects of the attack in Solingen and other acts of violence throughout Germany will also be felt at the Oktoberfest. For the first time, hand-held metal detectors will be used by police and security personnel at random or in the event of suspicious activity.

“We had to react to the fact that attacks with knives have increased in recent weeks and months,” Munich's mayor Dieter Reiter told the Associated Press during a media tour of the festival grounds, during which he drew attention to the new security measures. “We will do everything to ensure that no one comes to Oktoberfest with a knife or other dangerous weapons.”

In addition to around 600 police officers and 2,000 security guards, over 50 cameras will be installed on the festival grounds and the area will be cordoned off. Knives, glass bottles and backpacks are also prohibited for festival visitors.

Oktoberfest has also seen increased security measures in the past. In 2016, authorities took stricter measures in response to a series of attacks, including when a German teenager shot nine people in a Munich shopping mall and then killed himself.

Painful memories remain of a bomb attack at the entrance to the Oktoberfest on September 26, 1980, in which 13 people were killed, including three children and the attacker, the student Gundolf Köhler, a supporter of a banned right-wing extremist group. More than 200 people were injured. Initial investigations concluded that Köhler had acted alone. In 2014, the Federal Prosecutor's Office reopened the case after a previously unknown witness emerged but was unable to confirm evidence of co-conspirators.

Peter Neumann, professor of security studies at King's College London, said Oktoberfest officials were taking a sensible approach to security in light of the events in Solingen and other recent foiled attacks across Europe. Extremists and groups such as Islamic State are looking for places where an attack would make international headlines and “cause a lot of terror,” he said.

French authorities said they foiled three plots to attack the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris and other cities hosting the summer events, including plans to attack “Israeli institutions or representatives of Israel in Paris.” And Austrian authorities last month arrested a 19-year-old who allegedly planned to attack Taylor Swift's now-canceled concerts in Vienna and kill tens of thousands of fans.

“These are all global events that will attract a lot of attention,” Neumann said.

Neumann said the Islamic State gained momentum during the war between Israel and Hamas.

The group referred to the war when it claimed responsibility for the violence in Solingen. It said the attacker targeted Christians and, as a “soldier of the Islamic State,” he carried out the attacks “to avenge Muslims in Palestine and elsewhere.”

The Oktoberfest is a difficult event for the police, but authorities say there have been no specific threats to the festival.

“It's an iconic event and that's exactly the kind of event they want to have,” Neumann said. “But when you have millions of people – drunk people, to be honest – running around, it's really difficult to control every move.”

The festival's organizer, Clemens Baumgärtner, promised a safe public space, possibly “the safest place in Germany” during the 16 days of Oktoberfest.