Munich Oktoberfest tightens security control

The organizer of Munich Oktoberfest announced on Wednesday that a new concept of security control will be introduced this year during the world's largest beer festival against the backdrop of last month's attacks in the southern German state of Bavaria.

Backpacks and all bags that can carry more than three liters of liquid will be banned and a mobile fence around the whole area will be added at this year's Oktoberfest, lasting from Sept. 17 to Oct. 3.

Munich's deputy mayor Josef Schmid emphasized that the mobile fence can be dismantled within a minute in case of emergency situations.

According to the organizer, up to 450 security personnel will conduct bag control at the entrances during peak visiting time.

Last month, a 17-year-old Afghan asylum-seeker attacked passengers with an axe on a train near Wuerzburg, wounding five people before being shot dead by police, while a German-Iranian shot nine people and himself dead and injured 27 others in Munich. In another incident, a 27-year-old Syrian killed himself in a suicide bomb attack, injuring 15 people in Ansbach.

In response to recent attacks, Germany has introduced further measures to bolster security. Endit