A panel of historians set up to review the terrorist attacks at the 1972 Munich Olympics began its mission on Tuesday, the German government announced.
In April, Germany's Interior Ministry appointed the eight-member international expert committee, mostly from Israel or Germany, as part of an agreement with relatives of the 11 members of the Israeli team killed by Palestinian militants.
The first meeting of the panel was held at the Ministry of the Interior. Home Secretary Nancy Passer said: "The events surrounding this horrific attack will finally be thoroughly and transparently examined. The findings should provide answers to the many unanswered questions that the German government owes to victims' families and the public for more than 50 years."
Also last September, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier apologized for a series of failures during and after the attack.
A few days earlier, the relatives reached an agreement, which included receiving compensation in the amount of 28 million euros. In addition, Germany also agreed to acknowledge the failures of the authorities at the time and to establish the Committee of Experts.
On September 5, 1972, eight members of a Palestinian group called "Black September" climbed the fence of the Olympic Village. They broke into the building where the Israeli team was staying and killed wrestling coach Moshe Weinberg and weightlifter Yossi Romano. Several Israeli athletes managed to escape but nine were caught.
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The kidnappers demanded the release of more than 200 Palestinians held by Israel and two German far-left Jews in West German jails. The attackers demanded a plane and safe passage to Cairo. After a day of negotiations, the attackers and hostages were allowed to leave with two helicopters for Fürstenfeldbruck Airport, outside Munich. The attackers threw a grenade into one of the hostage-carrying helicopters, which exploded, and shot the hostages in the other helicopter.
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