Hanover (Germany), Nov 18, 2015, (AFP) No explosives have been found so far and no arrests made after the Tuesday’s Germany-Netherlands football match was cancelled, a German regional minister said.
Lower Saxony interior minister Boris Pistorius also told a press conference that rumours of an explosives-packed ambulance could not be confirmed.
German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the match in Hanover — which Chancellor Angela Merkel had been due to attend — was cancelled “to protect the population”, but did not provide specifics.
He said “we had good reasons, bitter reasons” but added that describing them could “cause concern to the population”, after local police in Hanover earlier said there had been a bomb threat.
Football match between Germany, Holland cancelled
Berlin, Nov 18 (IANS) A football match between Germany and Holland to be held in the German city of Hanover on Tuesday evening has been cancelled, German media N-TV reported, citing police sources.
No official details about the reason for the decision have been informed so far. According to information obtained by German media Focus Online, the game was cancelled because of “indications of a terrorist attack,” Xinhua reported.
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.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and several cabinet ministers were expected to attend the match, which comes four days after the terrorist attacks in Paris.