Evacuation of German Soccer Stadium Due to Warning by Israeli Intelligence

JERUSALEM—The sudden evacuation of a soccer stadium in Hamburg last week less than an hour before the arrival of German Chancellor Angela Merkel was due to a warning by Israeli intelligence of an imminent terrorist attack, according to the German magazine Stern.

The match between Germany and Holland was called off just 90 minutes before the scheduled kickoff. Chancellor Merkel and several of her ministers learned of the warning as they were preparing to head for the stadium. Their visit had been intended to demonstrate the government’s determination not to bow to terrorism in the wake of the attacks in Paris by Islamic State.

According to Stern, Israel had passed on an initial warning to Germany the day before the scheduled game of an attack in the works, but with few details.

On the day of the match, the information became more concrete, including the target and the hour of the attack, according to Stern.

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