Munich stations cleared amid ‘imminent threat’ of terror attack

Earlier, Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann told a news conference that Germany had received a tip from another country’s intelligence service that IS planned to attack Munich.

Five to seven suicide bombers were to take part in the attack, Munich police chief Hubertus Andrae said. They had yet to confirm, they said, whether the names they had received were correct or, indeed, whether the suspects were real people.

Police officers guard the main entrance in front of Munich main station. “The inquiries go on of course and we will remain watchful”, the spokesperson said, reiterating the law enforcers would issue warnings if they could not completely exclude a danger for the population.

Although the train stations have been evacuated, the spokeswoman said it could not be ruled out that the attackers could seek another target.

Authorities were investigating intensively, Mr Herrmann said, but so far had not made any arrests. “The Bavarian authorities acted prudently, calmly and decisively, with the support of the federal police”, Germany’s interior minister, Thomas de Maizière, said.

“Current indications show that a terror attack is being planned in Munich”.

Much of Europe has been on high alert since a terrorist-related attack on Paris left 130 dead in November.

Citing a “serious terror threat”, police shut down the central rail station, Hauptbahnhof, and the Pasing rail station in western Munich shortly before midnight Thursday and some 600 heavily armed police guarded the evacuated buildings through the night.

Regional public television Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) reported that the intelligence concerning possible Daesh attacks in Munich first came from US authorities on Thursday night and soon after French intelligence service conveyed similar information to their German counterparts.

“There are no new [security] alerts for the next hours and days”, he added. “There is as before a high threat of terror”, a police spokesman said, saying the investigation was ongoing. The Munich police president said that there had been no arrests at the current moment. “Thanks for staying calm and for your understanding concerning our measures”, the latest message in English said.

Police said on Facebook that according to “serious information, there will be an attack tonight”. That tip, too, had included the names of several suspects.

Ahead of the celebrations, Belgian police carried out several raids in Brussels and the eastern city of Liege in connection with the alleged plot, with five people still in custody on Friday morning.