Shock for passengers on an InterCity Express train: the train was halted in Gifhorn (Lower Saxony) and then evacuated. The reason: an Afghan had triggered a threatening situation!
In the Lower Saxony district town of Gifhorn (population 43,000), Deutsche Bahn brought an ICE train to an unscheduled stop at around 9.40 a.m. on Tuesday morning and then evacuated it.
The reason: an Afghan man (aged 44) caused a threatening situation on the ICE 541, which was travelling from Cologne to Berlin.
According to a police spokesperson, the man allegedly threatened the train crew with a knife and another dangerous object during the journey.
During the stop in Gifhorn, the 44-year-old was arrested by police officers. ‘The man was taken into custody by the first police officers,’ said the spokesperson for the Hanover Federal Police.
The ICE was evacuated due to the dangerous object that was possibly still on the train. The 340 passengers were escorted to the station forecourt by police officers and then travelled on to Wolfsburg by various means of public transport.
Arriving federal police officers, including two dog handlers with service dogs, searched the train at Gifhorn station and gave the all-clear shortly afterwards. Initially, no information was available on possible casualties or the number of passengers affected.
An attempt is being made to organise an alternative transport service for the passengers so that they can continue their journey from Wolfsburg if possible.
The arrested man is not an unknown to the police: Earlier that morning, the Afghan had insulted the staff of another train at Hanover Central Station and threatened them with violence because they refused to take a bicycle on board the ICE. Federal police officers then initiated criminal proceedings for insulting and threatening behaviour.
A further investigation was initiated for disturbing the public peace by threatening to commit criminal offences.
https://www.bz-berlin.de/berlin/ice-berlin-evakuiert-bedrohung-gifhorn