![A Black September terrorist looks from the balcony of an apartment where Israeli Olympic team members are held hostage, Munich, September 1972.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/120905010240-munich-olympics-terrorism-1.jpg?q=w_1280,h_720,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447)
Terror at the Olympics: Munich, 1972 —
A Black September terrorist looks from the balcony of an apartment where Israeli Olympic team members are held hostage, Munich, September 1972.
![A Black September terrorist talks with German officials, Munich, September 1972.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/120905010243-munich-olympics-terrorism-2.jpg?q=w_1280,h_720,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447)
Terror at the Olympics: Munich, 1972 —
A Black September terrorist talks with German officials, Munich, September 1972.
![With terrorists holed up in the Israeli athletes' quarters, swarms of German policemen, in uniform and plain clothes, move in and seal off the area, Munich, September 1972.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/120905010246-munich-olympics-terrorism-3.jpg?q=w_1280,h_720,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447)
Terror at the Olympics: Munich, 1972 —
With terrorists holed up in the Israeli athletes' quarters, swarms of German policemen, in uniform and plain clothes, move in and seal off the area, Munich, September 1972.
![Perched on a terrace directly above the Israeli quarters, a German policeman checks his submachine gun before advancing further, Munich, September 1972.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/120905010249-munich-olympics-terrorism-4.jpg?q=w_1280,h_720,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447)
Terror at the Olympics: Munich, 1972 —
Perched on a terrace directly above the Israeli quarters, a German policeman checks his submachine gun before advancing further, Munich, September 1972.
![A German policeman leans against a wall outside an apartment where Israeli hostages are held, Munich, September 1972. <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Flife.time.com%2Fhistory%2Fmunich-massacre-1972-olympics-photos%2F" target="_blank" target="_blank">See the complete gallery on LIFE.com</a>.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/120905010251-munich-olympics-terrorism-5.jpg?q=w_1280,h_720,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447)
Terror at the Olympics: Munich, 1972 —
A German policeman leans against a wall outside an apartment where Israeli hostages are held, Munich, September 1972. See the complete gallery on LIFE.com.