German Regional Courthouses Evacuated over Bomb Threats

W460

Several district courts were evacuated in Germany on Tuesday after they received bomb threats, police said, although searches have so far turned up nothing concrete.

The affected buildings included courthouses in Mainz, Erfurt, Luebeck and Wolfsburg as well as the public prosecutor's office in Erfurt, according to police in those cities.

A bomb threat arrived at the district court in the western city of Mainz at 7:30 am (0530 GMT), a police spokeswoman said, without giving further details.

The courthouse was cleared and searched with sniffer dogs, and several adjacent buildings were also evacuated as a precaution.

In Erfurt, all proceedings have been cancelled until midday.

It was unclear who or what was behind the threats.

In April, the trial of a man accused of sending over 100 far-right letters to politicians, journalists and officials was delayed at its opening in Berlin because of a bomb threat.

Shortly before the hearing opened, the court halted the session because of a fax that claimed that explosives had been planted around the courtroom where the trial was to be held.

The fax was signed off "Heil Hitler".

Andre M. stands accused of sending 107 threatening letters to courts, authorities, police, shopping malls, journalists and lawmakers between October 2018 and April 2019.

The threats had prompted evacuations, including of the main train station in Luebeck and a tax office in Gelsenkirchen.

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