With kick-off approaching at the HDI-Arena, Hannover police cancelled a friendly match between Germany and the Netherlands following suspicious circumstances. The thousands of fans inside the stadium were immediately evacuated.
Police were alerted to a suspicious object inside the stadium that forced the decision to cancel the match. Earlier in the day a suspicious object was found near the stadium, but after an initial police investigation fans were allowed to enter the stadium.
OFFICIAL: Police say an object was found in the stadium. No knowledge as to what it is. Everyone had to be evacuated. #GERNED
— DW Sports (@dw_sports) November 17, 2015
Trains around the HDI-Arena were stopped and anyone exiting the stadium was told to move away on foot. Only fans left, as well as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was in attendance for the game. Journalists and other officials remained in the stadium. Police also rerouted the German National Team who were on their way to the arena at the time the suspicious object was found.
This security scare comes only days after the events in Paris, and originally following those attacks the German FA made an announcement that today’s friendly would not be played. The FA went back on that decision and decided to hold the match as planned.
Across Hannover at the TUI-Arena, an indoor multi purpose arena there was also an evacuation ahead of a pop concert scheduled to take place. Hannover chief of police confirmed that is a serious threat to the city and “There were concrete plans to cause an explosion.”
UPDATE: German news site Duetsche-Welle is reporting that police found a truck bomb disguised as an Ambulance outside the stadium.
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