An armed man has been fatally shot by German police near the Nazi documentation centre and Israeli consulate in the southern city of Munich.

The man was hit, according to Bavarian police, and the area was cordoned off around Karolinenplatz. Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said later that the suspect had died.

Police said a man had been spotted in the area carrying a long firearm and five officers then exchanged fire with their service weapons.

They said there were no indications of any other suspects and they appealed to the public not to post images of the incident on social media.

People were told to avoid the area around Karolinenplatz and neighbouring Briennerstrasse and those in nearby residential or office buildings were urged to stay inside. A police helicopter circled over the area immediately afterwards.

Police said they were working to “clarify” the situation and warned against speculation.

Munich’s documentation centre for the history of National Socialism opened nine years ago on the site of the former Nazi party’s headquarters or “Brown House”.

After the shooting, police decided to raise security at Munich’s main synagogue, according to local reports.

The incident took place 52 years to the day after the 1972 attack on Israeli athletes by gunmen from Palestinian militant group Black September.

Eleven athletes and a police officer were killed in the hostage ordeal.