German city of Bremen on heightened terror alert

Berlin, Mar 1: German police said today they have temporarily detained two people and searched an Islamic cultural centre amid a weekend terrorism alert in the northern city of Bremen.

Police stood guard at key locations, including the town hall, main church and a synagogue, for a second day following a federal police warning issued Friday about possible Islamist terrorist activity.

With a Bundesliga football match to be held later Sunday, the city continued to face a "heightened threat level", a police spokeswoman told national news agency DPA, adding that "we have thrown a security cordon over Bremen".

Security will be tightened in and around the more than 42,000-capacity Weserstadion football ground where home team Werder Bremen was to have a Bundesliga clash with second- placed VfL Wolfsburg.

Werder has said there were no plans to postpone the league match, but that the club was in constant contact with the police operations centre.

It is Germany's third recent alert after threats of possible attacks led to the cancellation of a march by the anti-Islam movement PEGIDA in Dresden in January and Brunswick city calling off a carnival parade in February. Police union GdP warned against complacency about the threat of attacks.

"Politicians should stop talking of an abstract terror threat in Germany," said the union's chairman Oliver Malchow. "Germany is undoubtedly a target of terrorists. The terror warnings are becoming more frequent and specific.

AFP