Authorities canceled a Germany-Netherlands international friendly Tuesday after police found explosives outside TUI-Arena, according to multiple media reports.
German newspaper Kreiszeitung reports that officials found an ambulance filled with explosives. The soccer match was minutes from beginning when police first reported a serious threat and sealed off the arena. They temporarily gave an all-clear for fans and media to enter before calling for a complete evacuation of the stadium; Hannover president of police Volker Kluwe issued the ordered after receiving "concrete evidence that someone wanted to set off an explosive device," according to CNBC.
A second stadium in Hannover - located about 775 northeast of Paris - has been evacuated. There, the band Soehne Mannheims was set to perform.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was set to attend the match as a way of showing that last Friday's terrorist attacks in Paris wouldn't faze the German people. Merkel, government officials, and both Germany and Netherlands' soccer clubs have been re-routed.
Update 4:19 EST
Germany interior minister Thomas de Maiziére said no explosives have been found and no arrests have been made, according to TIME. Multiple rain stations and transit stops remain closed.
Police earlier reported at least three suspicious objects throughout the city, though government officials claimed they were only threats. Hannover Mayor Stefan Schostok said he still agrees with the decision to evacuate the stadiums because "security is always the priority."
Update 5:58 EST
DWS Sports reports that a bomb disposal unit removed a suspicious package from Hannover's central train station.
The interior minister said information about possible explosives came from a foreign source.
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