HANNOVER, Germany The friendly soccer game between Germany and the Netherlands was canceled at short notice due to the serious threat of an attack at the stadium on Tuesday.
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Police chief Volker Kluwe told German public broadcaster NDR that the alleged threat involved the “detonation of explosives in the stadium”.
The information about a “planned terrorist attack” was received from foreign sources, was all De Maiziere said.
The match in the HDI Arena in Hannover was due to begin at 7.45pm GMT but a security alert saw the police step in at around 6pm to prevent it going ahead.
The German chancellor Angela Merkel and members of the German cabinet were expected to have been among the guests at the match.
The interior minister for the Lower Saxony region, Boris Pistorius, said the police operation was ongoing but that security forces had not yet confiscated any bomb inside the HDI-Arena nor made any arrests.
The victims of the Paris attacks – which claimed at least 129 lives with more than 350 injured – had been set to be honoured by candlelight in what had been described as “a friendly in the true sense of the word”. “We all wanted to send out a signal, which makes this decision so bitter”.
The evacuation of the stadium follows a decision Monday by the Belgian soccer federation to cancel a game scheduled for Tuesday between Belgium and Spain, according to Business Insider.
Earlier on Tuesday, Robert-Enke Strasse said that outside the stadium was closed but later re-opened after police confirmed a “suspicious object turned out to be harmless” – allowing fans to approach the venue. Leading up to the game, London police increased their presence around the stadium and at several busy areas, such as transport hubs, across the British capital. The bombers sought unsuccessfully to enter the stadium.
“The indications of danger grew thicker throughout the course of the early evening”, de Maiziere said, adding that after careful consideration, “we chose to cancel for the safety of the people”. “In such a hard situation that is in doubt, the protection of humanity is the priority”, said Maizière.
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After the blasts the German team spent the night in the Stade de France changing room as it was considered too risky for them to cross Paris.
