Police: Town halls in several German cities evacuated after threats received

Town halls in several German cities were evacuated on Tuesday after threats, in some cases bomb threats, were received by email overnight, a number of police forces said.

According to initial reports, Augsburg, Kaiserslautern, Chemnitz, Göttingen, Neunkirchen, and Rendsburg are affected, reported Focus Online.

The city hall in Augsburg, Bavaria, was evacuated and closed on Tuesday morning. The town hall square was also cordoned off.

Police said an "act of violence in connection with the city of Augsburg" had been received.

The force did not provide further details and the operation is in progress. There is also disruption to public transport due to the incident.

Most forces said sniffer dogs were searching for explosives and local traffic was disrupted.

The town hall in Göttingen, Lower Saxony was also evacuated and closed off. According to the police, a bomb threat was received. Special forces were on site and residents were urged to avoid the area.

Police also tweeted about the incident and said public transport in the area would also be diverted.

A similar report has come to light in the Saxon city of Chemnitz. Police are investigating the town hall, reported Radio Chemnitz. The town hall was also cordoned off.

In Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate, threatening mail was also received, the police spokesman said.

However, there is currently no concrete threat, the measures were being carried out as a precaution, he added.

"Around 1:30 am, threatening mail arrived at the town hall during the night, a police spokesman in Kaiserslautern told Focus Online. “It was discovered by an employee at about 8 am.”

Threats against town halls have also been reported from other German cities.

It is not known whether there is a connection between any of the incidents.

In January, courts in three German cities received bomb threats but no explosions occurred.