Two state visits in one day: The Berlin police are on a large-scale operation today with around 2,000 officers. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Israeli President Isaac Herzog are in the city.
Zelenskyj will be received by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the Chancellery and Herzog will be received by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Bellevue Palace. According to the police, there are therefore traffic restrictions in and around the government district. This is an operational situation for persons in protection with a high risk potential.
Security level 1 applies to both state guests – similar to when an American president visits. This means within the police: an attack is to be expected. To a certain extent, security level “1 plus” applies to Zelenskyj. Because as the president of a country invaded by Russia, one must expect that his life will be targeted abroad even more than in peacetime.
Zelensky, who is considered the most endangered man in the world, arrived at BER airport in the morning. He was not brought to the government district in a motorcade, but in a federal police helicopter. According to a police spokeswoman, the security measures are focused primarily on the government district.
Police expect pro-Palestinian demonstrations
To ensure its safety, drains in the area were examined for explosive devices and then sealed. Divers were in the Spree to search for explosive devices underwater. The police have positioned precision shooters on the roofs surrounding the Federal Chancellery. The Berlin police are supported by units from other federal states: Brandenburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Hamburg, Bremen, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony-Anhalt, as well as by the federal police.
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Because of the state visits, there are also major restrictions on the S-Bahn. The light rail between Ostbahnhof and Alexanderplatz is interrupted. The route was initially closed because objects were lying on the tracks. “We are therefore conducting investigations into dangerous interference with rail traffic,” said a federal police spokesman. The spokesman did not want to say what kind of objects were lying on the tracks “for tactical reasons”. As an S-Bahn spokesman said, the route remained closed “by official orders”. The reason is the state visit.
Zelensky will leave on Friday and take part in the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.
Israel’s President Herzog will also leave on Friday. He is also expected at the security conference in Munich on Saturday. A pro-Palestinian rally was registered near Bellevue Palace. According to the police, the registration was withdrawn. However, there are calls on social media to gather there. “We are therefore keeping an eye on the original meeting place,” said the police spokeswoman.
2024-02-16 17:12:14
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