Police cancel a soccer match in Germany after finding “concrete plans” to bomb the stadium

German flags are carried out of the stadium as the soccer friendly between Germany and the Netherlands was cancelled in Hannover, Germany.
German flags are carried out of the stadium as the soccer friendly between Germany and the Netherlands was cancelled in Hannover, Germany.
Image: AP Photo/Michael Sohn
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A match between the Dutch and German national soccer teams was cancelled and the stadium in Hanover, Germany was evacuated this evening (Nov. 17) after police found a suspicious item in the stadium, according to German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.

“There were concrete plans to cause an explosion,” said Hanover police chief Volker Kluwe.

Security services across Europe are on high alert after the terrorist attacks on Paris last week, after which at least one attacker remains at large.

The stadium was evacuated about 90 minutes before the match began. Two Dutch government ministers were in the stadium, and German chancellor Angela Merkel was scheduled to attend but had not yet arrived.