Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Hannover stadium evacuated live: Germany football match cancelled amid ‘concrete security threat’ days after Paris attacks – latest updates

Three areas in Hannover were evacuated but police have found no explosives 

Loulla-Mae Eleftheriou-Smith
Tuesday 17 November 2015 17:36 EST
Comments
Special police forces cordon off the stadium in Hannover after the soccer friendly match between Germany and the Netherlands was cancelled amid security fears
Special police forces cordon off the stadium in Hannover after the soccer friendly match between Germany and the Netherlands was cancelled amid security fears (Christian Charisius/dpa via AP)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A "concrete security threat" caused police to evacuate Hannover stadium in Germany less than two hours before an international friendly between Germany and the Netherlands was due to start.

A further two sites - a music venue and part of a train station - were evacuated but police found no explosives and made no arrests. Here are the latest updates:

Please allow a moment for the live blog to load

Hannover City Police president Volker Kluwe told reporters there had been "serious indications that a bomb attack was planned by Islamic assailants," leading to the evacuation of the stadium with fans being told to "go straight home".

Local media reports suggested an ambulance and a recovery vehicle were being investigated for explosives by police at the scene, while unverified pictures emerged of a man apparently being held at gunpoint outside of the stadium.

However it has since been confirmed no explosives were found inside the ambulance or another vehicle at the scene.

Paris survivor on the attacks

Another stadium in Hannover - a music venue where band Soehne Mannheims had been due to play - was evacuated, before part of the city's central train station was closed following the reported discovery of an object.

German Chancellor Angela merkel and several other cabinet members had been due to attend the game in a show of solidarity four days after the Paris attacks.

One of two caretaker presidents in charge of the German football federation, Reinhard Rauball, said the German team was about three miles away from the statium when he told them to turn around.

"It's a sad day for German football," he said.

German officials have since confirmed that no explosives were found in Hannover and that no arrests have been made.

Additional reporting by agencies

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in