Politics and Protests at the Olympics Through the Years
Getty Images
Members of the terrorist organization Black September raided the Olympic village at Munich during the 1972 Games and held Israeli athletes as hostages.
The siege was seen around the world and members of the group would appear on the balcony of the apartment where they were keeping the hostages.
Black September, a militant faction of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s Fatah party, demanded the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel in exchange for the nine athletes they held hostage. After Israel refused, a botched rescue attempt by German officials followed.
In a shootout between authorities and Black September members at a Munich airport, all of the athletes and five terrorists were killed.
Despite the massacre, the Games continued.