German police officers search between the seats of the stadium prior to an worldwide friendly soccer match between Germany and the Netherlands in Hannover, Germany, Tuesday, November 17, 2015.
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The premier of the state of Lower Saxony said on Wednesday that German officials had concrete indications of a security threat that led them to call off the soccer game.
A football match in Germany that had been hailed as a “symbol of freedom” after the Paris attacks and was to be attended by Chancellor Angela Merkel was called off for security reasons today, police said.
Last Friday Germany performed France within the Stade de France in Paris, a match which was overshadowed by the terror assaults in Paris.
The match in Hannover was due to begin at 23:45 but a security alert saw police step in at around 22:00 to prevent it taking place.
Police brielfy sealed off the stadium staging the friendly between Germany and the Netherlands after finding a suspicious suitcase.
Announcements at the 45,000-capacity stadium in northern Germany advised fans to leave calmly and that there was no danger.
The spooks told German authorities that the terrorists might strike using an explosives-laden vehicle with official access to the football stadium, such as an ambulance, TV crew van or security patrol auto, reports Die Welt.
“They wanted to make a statement against fear and terrorism, but it wasn’t to be”, said disappointed fan Philipp Beckermann, 38, who was heading away from the stadium.
The “official visitors” and the teams were safe, he said, adding that the evacuation of the stadium went “smoothly”.
The decision was reached after reports of an Islamist threat targeting the HDI Arena.
Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere gave few details on Tuesday’s threat, saying he needed to protect the source of information and because “part of these answers would upset the population”.
Paris police said they have arrested 16 people, but none were directly linked to the attacks. De Maziere said the decision to cancel the game was made just as the plane carrying him and Merkel landed. Germany Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs spokesman Zekeriya Altug, Paris the only terrorist events in Europe and Germany he also lives desired to be attributed to the Muslims but despite allegedly acting on behalf of Islamic terrorist groups explained the need to know that it was a lie.
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“For our team, within just four days, to have to go through such a tragic situation twice is not something I could have imagined”.
