A football match between hosts Germany and the Netherlands — which German Chancellor Angel Merkel was due to attend in Hannover — was called off two hours before its scheduled start on Tuesday over fears of a planned bombing. However, the police found no explosives in the stadium and have made no arrests.
Germany’s top security official said the decision to cancel the match was made after authorities received mounting information during the course of the day about a possible attack.
“We had concrete evidence that someone wanted to set off an explosive device in the stadium,” Hannover police chief Volker Kluwe said.
Spectators had only just started entering the Hannover stadium when the evacuation order was given, which affected mainly stadium staff, match workers, VIP guests, and the media.
Members of the German government, including Ms. Merkel, had not arrived, but were scheduled to attend the match to send a signal that Germany wouldn’t bow to terrorism in the wake of the deadly Paris attacks on Friday.
Tuesday’s friendly between Belgium and Spain was called off late Monday following a Belgian government recommendation. The Belgian Football Association said it was “in the context of a new elevated terrorist alert and the current pursuit of a suspect.”
