Oudeh passes

Mohammed Oudeh, the mastermind of the 1972 Munich Olympics terror attack that ended in the deaths of 11 Israeli athletes, has died in Syria, sources said. He was 73.

Oudeh, who was commonly referred to by his guerrilla name, Abu Daoud, died from kidney failure, his daughter Hana Oudeh said.

While Oudeh did not participate in the September 5, 1972, taking of Israeli hostages at the Munich Games, he was the head of the "Black September" militant group responsible for the raid.

Black September was an offshoot of the Fatah group, which was created by the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to avenge the 1970 expulsion of Palestinians from Jordan.

The raid saw eight Palestinian militants break into a dormitory at the Munich Olympic village and take the group of Israeli athletes hostage. Two of the athletes tried to overpower the militants, but were shot and killed.

The Black September militants ended up with nine Israelis hostages, and were allowed transportation to a military airfield, where a botched attempt by German snipers to take out the militants backfired, ending in the deaths of five Palestinians, a German police office and all nine Israeli hostages.

Author: Darren Mara
Editor: Andreas Illmer