all clear
False alarm in Berlin – large police operation at the ICC ended
Police emergency vehicles are parked at the former ICC congress center in Berlin. photo
© Paul Zinken/dpa
A caller reports two armed men at the former ICC convention center in Berlin. A symphony orchestra is meeting there at the time. The police are in action…
After an alarm call, a large police operation at the former ICC congress center in Berlin was ended – nothing dangerous was found. A man made an emergency call around 9 a.m. on Wednesday and reported two armed men at nearby Messedamm, the police wrote on Twitter. “There were very many forces there very quickly,” it said.
The police searched the largely empty huge building and the surrounding area for almost two hours, but found nothing. Special units (SEK) were also involved in the operation, according to a police spokesman. A large part of the forces had been withdrawn, but the area was still being checked.
Because of the police operation, a planned rehearsal by the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (DSO) could not take place at first. The rehearsal was actually scheduled for 10 a.m., said orchestra director Thomas Schmidt-Ott of the German Press Agency.
Some employees and musicians were already in the building, said Schmidt-Ott. Some would have closed the doors in the meantime to be on the safe side. Then everyone would have left the building. “It sounds highly dramatic, but everything was calm and we were looked after confidently by the police.” The rbb had previously reported.