Munich - (AFP) - German police announced today, Wednesday, that they had arrested a security guard for performing the "Hitler salute" in front of a group of Israeli athletes who were visiting the memorial to the Munich Olympics attack in 1972.

Police said in a statement that 16 athletes from Israel's European Athletics Championships team were visiting the Olympic Park in Munich on Tuesday evening when a security guard made the forbidden salute.

"One of the four security guards was seen at around 19:20 making the Nazi signal (Hitler salute)," the statement said.

Immediately, the police arrested the 19-year-old suspect, who is from Berlin, and was prevented from being present in all other tournament activities.

The police pointed out that the athletes did not notice this movement.

The incident comes at a sensitive time, as Munich hosts the European Athletics Championships ahead of the 50th anniversary of the Olympics attack that killed 11 Israelis.

On September 5, 1972, eight gunmen broke into the Israeli team's apartment in the Olympic Village, shot two, took nine Israelis hostage, and threatened to kill them unless 232 Palestinian prisoners were released.

West German police responded with a botched rescue operation in which all the hostages were killed, along with five of their captors and a policeman.

The families of the dead have received 4.5 million euros in compensation, but they say it is not enough and have pledged to boycott the commemoration of the tragedy.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas exacerbated the situation during his visit to Berlin on Tuesday, after remarks equating Israel's policy towards the Palestinians with the Holocaust at the hands of the Nazis, sparked strong condemnation.