Items stolen from Munich memorial to 1958 air crash victims
Medals and a glass sculpture were taken after a display case at Manchesterplatz was smashed with a stone.
The Manchester Munich Memorial Foundation (MMMF) said it was deeply saddened after items honouring victims of the 1958 air crash were stolen from a memorial in Germany.
According to German newspaper Hallo München, the pieces were taken on Monday from a glass display case at Manchesterplatz in Munich, which Munich Police said had been smashed with a stone. Mark Salzmann, chairman of Red Docs Munich, told BBC News that the haul included a glass sculpture originally given to Dieter Reiter, the city's former mayor, along with several medals. Salzmann said his mother had spotted the damage as she drove past.
The memorial marks the site where the plane carrying Manchester United crashed on take-off after stopping to refuel on the way back from a European Cup tie in Belgrade. The disaster killed 23 people, eight of them United players.
MMMF chair Ifty Ahmed thanked Red Docs Munich, a Bayern Munich supporters' group that helps look after the memorial, for acting quickly, and the broken glass was replaced the same day. Ahmed said those responsible had taken treasured items, but "they cannot steal our memories, diminish our friendship or destroy the legacy of those we remember".
The foundation said Manchester United had offered to fund the repairs, but it had agreed to meet the costs itself. Salzmann said the items were unique and hard to replace, though his group was considering working with the foundation to source new ones.
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