Armed Police by the stadium after the cancellation of the global friendly match between Germany and The Netherlands at the AWD Arena.
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One of two caretaker presidents in charge of the German football federation, Reinhard Rauball, said the German team was about five kilometres away from the stadium when he called and told them to turn around. Earlier in the day, the access roads to the stadium holding the match were reportedly blocked after a suspicious object was found on the spot.
Despite this experience the German and Dutch coaches Joachim Low and Danny Blind expressed their determination to play Tuesday’s match in Hanover, also to make a statement that soccer will not bend to terror.
Hanover city police chief Volker Kluwe said there had been “serious plans to cause an explosion” in the 49,000-capacity stadium, and that authorities had acted on “a concrete threat scenario”.
Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere declined to answer questions about the exact nature of the threat and the source of the information during a news conference after the Germany-Netherlands match was canceled.
“The indications of danger grew thicker throughout the course of the early evening”, De Maziere said.
Fans, who had started filling the HDI Arena for the game, were asked to leave in orderly fashion when the game was cancelled.
German police say more than 750 suspected Islamists have travelled to the Middle East from Germany and the authorities know of about 70 who have returned from military training camps.
Police also urged people via megaphone to return to their homes and avoid moving in large groups near the stadium or other areas such as train stations.
“It is very regrettable that this game had to be called off”, Pistorius said.
It came four days after suicide bombers struck near a soccer game between France and Germany during Friday’s Paris attacks.
Meanwhile, English soccer fans saluted France last night by roaring out the “Marseillaise” national anthem at a friendly match which became a show of solidarity joined by British politicians and royalty.
“There was a lot of fear and anxiety in the dressing room that night”. Paris and previous terrorist attacks, to need to be so alarmed as they were today.
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It appears that the ambulance found packed with explosives was actually an ordinary truck disguised as an emergency medical vehicle to enable a potentially lethal explosion targeting unaware civilians.
