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| Germany hunts suspected Isis bombers planning Munich New Year's Eve attack | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Five to seven Islamic State suicide bombers were planning to launch an attack on New Year’s Eve, German authorities have said, as police in Munich evacuated train stations and warned people to stay away. | Five to seven Islamic State suicide bombers were planning to launch an attack on New Year’s Eve, German authorities have said, as police in Munich evacuated train stations and warned people to stay away. |
| Munich police president Hubertus Andrae said 550 emergency services personnel had been deployed to track down the suspects and secure the sites, and that no arrests had yet been made. | |
| A police spokeswoman said it could not be ruled out that the attackers could seek another target. | |
| Related: Munich police warned of attack by 'five to seven suicide bombers' - live | |
| Andrae said authorities were tipped off by a foreign intelligence service that the jihadi group was planning the attacks. German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung said the information was passed on by French intelligence services. | |
| Bavaria’s interior minister, Joachim Herrmann, said there was “concrete” information that the Isis threat related to midnight and the two train stations. | |
| Earlier, police had warned of a “serious, imminent threat” and asked people to stay away from the city’s main train station and a second train station in the city’s Pasing neighbourhood. | Earlier, police had warned of a “serious, imminent threat” and asked people to stay away from the city’s main train station and a second train station in the city’s Pasing neighbourhood. |
| Aktuelle Hinweise, dass in #München ein Terroranschlag geplant ist. Bitte meidet Menschenansammlungen und die Bahnhöfe Hauptbahnhof + Pasing | Aktuelle Hinweise, dass in #München ein Terroranschlag geplant ist. Bitte meidet Menschenansammlungen und die Bahnhöfe Hauptbahnhof + Pasing |
| Police spokesman Werner Kraus told the Associated Press that “after evaluating the situation, we started evacuating the train stations and also asked partygoers to stay away from big crowds outside”. | Police spokesman Werner Kraus told the Associated Press that “after evaluating the situation, we started evacuating the train stations and also asked partygoers to stay away from big crowds outside”. |
| Related: UK new year events go ahead amid heightened security around the world | |
| The warning came only hours before the city rang in the new year, with events passing off without incident. | The warning came only hours before the city rang in the new year, with events passing off without incident. |
| Despite police warnings to stay away from big crowds, thousands of people were on the streets of Munich at midnight to welcome the new year with fireworks. | Despite police warnings to stay away from big crowds, thousands of people were on the streets of Munich at midnight to welcome the new year with fireworks. |
| DPA reported massive delays in the city’s public transportation system after both train stations were quickly evacuated and trains no longer stopped there. | |
| In Berlin, the police presence was stepped up at the Brandenburg Gate, where hundreds of thousands of people gathered for festivities. All large bags and backpacks were banned from the site of the huge street party. | |
| The latest development comes amid ongoing security operations across Europe. Police in Belgium detained six people during house searches in Brussels on Thursday in an investigation into an alleged plot to carry out an attack in the city. | |
| Earlier in the week, two other people were arrested on suspicion of preparing attacks on “emblematic sites” in Brussels during the celebrations. Another man was questioned over links to last month’s Paris attacks. | |
| Authorities in the Belgian capital said a fireworks display and festivities that attracted 100,000 people in 2014 would not go ahead after revealing the alleged jihadi plot. | Authorities in the Belgian capital said a fireworks display and festivities that attracted 100,000 people in 2014 would not go ahead after revealing the alleged jihadi plot. |
| “Unfortunately we have been forced to cancel the fireworks and all that was planned for tomorrow [Thursday] evening,” the mayor, Yvan Mayeur, told Belgian broadcaster RTBF. “It’s better not to take any risks.” | “Unfortunately we have been forced to cancel the fireworks and all that was planned for tomorrow [Thursday] evening,” the mayor, Yvan Mayeur, told Belgian broadcaster RTBF. “It’s better not to take any risks.” |
| In Paris, where 130 people were killed in December, the annual fireworks display on the Champs Élysées was called off and 11,000 police, soldiers and firefighters patrolled the French capital. More than 100,000 police were deployed across the country, according to the interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve. | In Paris, where 130 people were killed in December, the annual fireworks display on the Champs Élysées was called off and 11,000 police, soldiers and firefighters patrolled the French capital. More than 100,000 police were deployed across the country, according to the interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve. |
| Red Square in Moscow, traditionally a place where people gather to ring in the new year, was closed. “It’s no secret that Moscow is one of the choice targets for terrorists,” the city’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said recently. | Red Square in Moscow, traditionally a place where people gather to ring in the new year, was closed. “It’s no secret that Moscow is one of the choice targets for terrorists,” the city’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said recently. |
| New York City said it had its tightest ever New Year’s Eve security to protect an expected 1 million revellers. | New York City said it had its tightest ever New Year’s Eve security to protect an expected 1 million revellers. |
| A few days after the Paris attack, a soccer stadium in Hannover in central Germany was evacuated after a terror threat against a friendly match between Germany and the Netherlands. The authorities never reported any findings of explosives or concrete attack plans. | A few days after the Paris attack, a soccer stadium in Hannover in central Germany was evacuated after a terror threat against a friendly match between Germany and the Netherlands. The authorities never reported any findings of explosives or concrete attack plans. |
| This story will be updated regularly. Please check back for more information. |