Germany: Police suspect antisemitism in Israeli restaurant attack in Munich

An Israeli restaurant in Munich was attacked overnight, smashing several windows and throwing pyrotechnic devices inside, police said on Friday. Nobody was hurt in the incident, but the attackers caused damage worth several thousand euros. It is unclear who the assailants were or how many were behind the attack. Police and the restaurant's management believe the attack was motivated by antisemitism. The Police State Security Service (or Polizeilicher Staatsschutz), which deals with politically motivated crimes, has taken over the investigation. Police said they first received an emergency call shortly before 1 a.m., and arrived to find three broken storefront windowsImage: Peter Kneffel/dpa/picture alliance What do we know about the case? Emergency services received a call at around 12:45 a.m. on Friday, reporting three loud bangs on Hessstrasse in the Maxvorstadt district. This is in the city center's university district, near the old town and the central train station."According to the current state of investigations, the display windows were forcibly damaged and pyrotechnic devices were thrown into the restaurant," police said. Officers were still securing evidence at the scene on Friday morningImage: Peter Kneffel/dpa/picture alliance The operators of the 70-seat restaurant told the German dpa news agency that "there were no direct threats" in the run-up to the case. They also said they planned to open for business on Friday as usual. "We won't be intimidated. We're reopening," said Grigori Dratva, the owner's brother-in-law and an employee at the eatery. The Central Council of Jews in Germany said in a post on Instagram that now was a "good moment to display solidarity" with the Eclipse restaurant. European Rabbis' Conference warns attack 'not a one-off' Germany has logged an uptick in crimes thought to be motivated by antisemitism in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel and amid the various conflicts in the Middle East that have followed, according to the BfV domestic intelligence service. In recent weeks, the fighting in Iran, Lebanon and the wider Middle East has brought the issue back to the fore after a comparatively quiet few months in the region. The European Rabbis' Conference, which is based in Munich, also warned of this pattern on Friday. "This attack is not one-off, rather part of a dangerous trend that we are seeing since October 7, 2023," the CER said. "Until now, Munich was a safe place for Jews, and it must stay that way. What's needed is a clear line: zero tolerance against antisemitism, with harsh punishments that do not lead to repeat incidents, and no room for those who sow hate in our society," the CER's General Secretary Gady Gronich said.Iran war: 'Fear shouldn't dictate Jewish life,' rabbi saysTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Edited by: Karl Sexton