Germany vs. Netherlands match canceled after explosive device found
Tuesday’s friendly between Germany and Netherlands was canceled and the HDI-Arena in Hanover, Germany was evacuated after a “suspicious object” that could cause an explosion was found at the stadium, police said.
Hanover's chief of police told Sky Sports that “there is a serious threat to the city.” The chief also said “There was a device intended to be detonated inside the stadium.” Police in Hanover have since closed a section of the city’s central train station after the discovery of another object.
Police initially told people evacuating to “move away from the stadium. Do not stand still.”
Earlier Tuesday, a German wire news service reported a “suspicious object” had been found on a street near the arena. Police blocked all roads to the stadium but eventually the game was allowed to continue as scheduled, according to DWS. A second threat caused the game to be canceled.
“After the first object turned out to be harmless, we got a tip that had to be taken seriously that an attack was being planned,” Hanover police chief Volker Kluwe said.
The game was expected to be attended by German chancellor Angela Merkel and other cabinet members, reportsThe Guardian. They had not arrived when the evacuation order was underway.
• Belgium-Spain friendly postponed due to elevated terror threat level
Germany was playing France during the Paris terror attacks, during which the soccer match was targeted. The German and French national teams were not made aware of the attacks during the game, and both stayed in Stade de France overnight.
This post will be updated
