Fear of Islamist attacks forces cancellation of Germany v Dutch game

A friendly international between Germany and the Netherlands was called off some 90 minutes before the planned kick-off on Tuesday over a threat of a bomb attack by an Islamist group, according to security sources. Security crews received a warning shortly before the start of the game that explosives were possibly in the stadium.

"They planned to detonate explosives in the stadium," Hanover police chief Volker Kluwe said in comments aired on broadcaster NDR. "The key warning reached us about 15 minutes after the gates were opened." Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, speaking at an impromptu press conference, did not want not comment on the source of the information and release too many further details. "The indications of danger grew thicker throughout the course of the early evening," said De Maiziere. "After careful consideration, we decided to cancel for the safety of the people."

Boris Pistorius, the interior minister of the state of Lower Saxony, in which Hanover lies, said that, to date, no arrests had been made, nor had there been any explosives discovered. He brushed aside media speculation about an ambulance full of explosives. The few fans who were already in the stands were quickly evacuated from the 49,000-seat HDI Arena and the arena was sealed off by heavily armed security forces.

The game would have been played four days after the terror attacks in Paris amid tight security. Then, several attackers wearing suicide belts blew themselves up outside the Stade de France as part of the attacks while Germany played a friendly with France. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and several senior cabinet members had been due to attend the match in Hanover, and Dutch government members were also to be there.

"It feels like a loss, but the security of the fans and players takes precedence," Edith Schippers, Dutch sports minister, said on Dutch radio after returning to the Netherlands. The German team was on its way from its hotel in Barsinghausen some 30 kilometres from Hanover to the stadium, and diverted by police. "DieMannschaft are under police protection and have been escorted to a safe place," the national team Twitter feed said.

Officials said that the team returned to the hotel, but that players then quickly left for their homes and clubs. The German team had spent all night in the Stade de France after the game, unwilling to return to their hotel which had been the target of a bomb threat earlier Friday and were then taken to the airport by police escort on Saturday morning for the flight back home.

The German football federation (DFB) had considered calling off Tuesday's match in the days ahead of the game. However federation and team officials agreed to go ahead with the game in solidarity with France and the relatives and victims of the Paris attacks. "This game was supposed to be a special gesture. It was supposed to have been a gesture by the national team," de Maiziere said.

Reinhard Rauball, co-interim president of the German football federation DFB, said: "I could never have imagined that the team would have to experience such tragic events twice in four days." On Tuesday, the stadium was also sealed off for half an hour earlier in the evening after the discovery of a suspicious suitcase.

The stadium and some streets in the area were closed before police said the object posed no threat. Extra police, many armed with automatic weapons, had been deployed for the game. All available police officers were being deployed in Hanover, a police spokeswoman said without giving further details. Belgium's Tuesday friendly with European champions Spain was also called off, late Monday, in the wake of the attacks and security concerns.    (dpa)

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