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7 Relatives of Israeli Athletes Slain in ’72 Munich Olympics Sue

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Seven relatives of the Israeli athletes killed at the 1972 Munich Olympics by Palestinian terrorists have filed suit against the governments of Germany and Bavaria.

A Munich court will next month hear the claim, in which the families demand $27.2 million in compensation.

In October, the same court threw out of compensation suit from 22 other relatives of the athletes, ruling that their claims had been addressed in an original settlement in 1973 that provided them with some $1 million.

In that settlement, the plaintiffs agreed not to pursue any further claims in the case, the Munich judge also said in October.

On the 11th day of the Olympics in September 1972, members of the Black September movement infiltrated the Olympic village, killing two Israeli athletes and taking nine other hostage, demanding the release of 200 Arab prisoners in Israel.

In a shootout at the airport later that day when German police attempted to free the hostages, all nine hostages were killed, as were a German police officer and five of the terrorists.

Relatives of the victims have pointed to a report that surfaced in 1992 showing that the police rescue effort had been bungled.

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