Germany vs Netherlands game cancelled, Hannover stadium evacuated over terror scare

Conflicting reports set off social media frenzy

November 17, 2015 By Mary Frost Brooklyn Daily Eagle

AP photo by Markus Schreiber

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Multiple news sources reported on Tuesday that an ambulance packed full of explosives was discovered parked outside the German national stadium in Hannover on Tuesday. A match between Germany and the Netherlands was canceled as security officials assessed the situation.

The potential threat and conflicting reports by officials set off an tsunami of concern and unconfirmed speculation on social media.

Earlier, the Hannover chief of police said a device was intended to be detonated inside the stadium, according to a tweet by Katya Adler of the BBC. At a later news conference, German interior minister Thomas de Maizière refused to give more detail on the threat “to avoid compromising ongoing security efforts,” Adler reported. Later reports said that no explosives had been found and no arrests made.

Hanover’s main railway station remained partially closed Tuesday night while authorities investigated a suspicious object, according to BNO News.

Only last Friday the Paris terror attacks left 129 dead.

According to CNN, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and at least three other top government officials were expected to attend the match, in a show of solidarity with France.

The game had not yet started when the evacuation was ordered. Officials said there was a “concrete threat.”

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.

According to Bild, a concert at the 14,000-capacity TUI Arena in Hannover was also evacuated.

According to the Mirror, security services told German news agency DPA the threat came from Islamists. None of these threats have as yet been confirmed.