Report: Israeli intelligence helped thwart terror attack in Germany
Israel reportedly provided Hanover police with information on imminent threat of terror bombing at Germany-Holland soccer match, days after the terror attacks in Paris.
Israel reportedly helped thwart a terror attack in the German city of Hanover only days after the devastating terror attacks in Paris, according to a story published on Wednesday in German magazine Stern.
Stern cites German government sources that said Israel provided crucial intelligence about an imminent terror attack targeting the friendly match between Germany and Holland's soccer teams. This led to the cancelation of the game and the evacuation of the stadium, only 90 minutes before the game was to start.
According to Stern magazine, Israeli intelligence passed information to German authorities about a planned terror bombing at the stadium in Hanover as early as Monday. The next day, November 17, more concrete information, including specific details of the planned attack, was gathered from the same source, indicating on an immediate threat.
The attack was reportedly to be modeled on the terror attack on the Germany-France friendly match at the Stade de France stadium in Paris on November 13, when three suicide bombers tried unsuccessful to enter the stadium, and blew up at its gates instead.
According to German media, a car bomb was found near the stadium, disguised as an ambulance, and a suspect known to German police was arrested at the scene - but this information has not been confirmed.
An hour after the stadium was evacuated, the terror alert was applied to the entire city, and police called on residents to remain at home and avoid crowded places. Shortly after that, a suspected bomb was found at the train station in Hanover, and it too was evacuated.
