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Munich terror threat remains in place, stations open again
Posted On Jan 01 2016
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German officials say they were right to close two major railway stations in Munich on New Year’s Eve, because they had a “specific” tip-off about a possible Islamic State (IS) attack.
The measures added to security fears in Europe heightened by Belgium’s decision to cancel New Year’s Eve celebrations in Brussels, citing a suspected plot to carry out an attack in the capital.
Rail services at both stations were suspended at 10:30pm, with a warning from police urging the public to avoid large crowds.
Europe has been on edge since the November 13 terrorist attacks in Paris that killed at least 130 people.
Hubertus Andrae told a news conference that German officials had received a “very concrete” tip that suicide attacks were planned at train stations in the southern city at midnight.
“The situation has eased a bit again”, said Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann.
Police have been deployed to the city centre and two city train stations, including the central one, which were shut down in the final hours of 2015 after police, acting on a foreign intelligence tip, issued a terrorism warning. Police said on Thursday they were holding three people for questioning over an alleged plot.
But the state of alert now is “as it was before last night”, Mr Herrmann told the Bavarian state broadcaster BR.
Regional broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk said the suspects were seven Iraqis living in Munich who were allegedly planning to work in pairs and blow themselves up at the two stations as well in other parts of the city.
At the same time, the police have advised people to stay away from large gatherings.
A few days after the Paris attack, a football stadium in Hannover, central Germany, was evacuated after a terror threat against a friendly match between Germany and the Netherlands.
An increased presence of police officers remained across Munich on New Year’s Day, as the search for potential assailants associated with the self-styled “Islamic State” (IS) group continued.
