Many people crowd into the Hamburg Christmas markets during Advent. Are they safe from attacks there? That’s what the authorities say.
After the recent arrests for allegedly planned terrorist attacks on Christmas markets, Hamburg’s interior authorities see the threat situation as remaining high. “However, the security authorities in Hamburg currently have no information or evidence from which a concrete threat could be derived specifically for Christmas markets,” explained authority spokesman Daniel Schaefer.
Interior authority: Police presence at Christmas markets is not always directly visible
The police are keeping an eye on the increased number of visitors in the city center and are looking after a large number of Christmas markets, shopping centers and shopping streets. However, the presence is not always visible at first glance. Schaefer did not want to comment in more detail on the individual measures.
After the truck attack on Berlin’s Breitscheidplatz with twelve fatalities in December 2016, Hamburg’s Christmas markets were secured with concrete blocks. Retractable bollards have now been installed in some places.
A few days ago, two young people aged 15 and 16 were arrested in North Rhine-Westphalia and Brandenburg. According to the Düsseldorf Public Prosecutor’s Office, they are said to have agreed to kill visitors to a Christmas market in Leverkusen by exploding a small truck at the beginning of December.
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The arrest of a 20-year-old in Helmstedt (Lower Saxony) became known on Friday. According to information from security circles, the Iraqi, who had only been in Germany since last year, is said to have thought about attacking visitors to a Christmas market – possibly in Hanover – with a knife. (dpa)
2023-12-02 16:52:52
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