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3 months ago
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A Euro 2024 fan zone has been locked down in Berlin after a suspicious package was found hours before the first game of the tournament kicks off tonight.
Cops in the German capital announced the find and sent in bomb-sniffing dogs and a disposal squad, while Bild reported that one man has been arrested.
The German tabloid reported that suspicious backpack was found at the entrance to the fan zone, prompting the fan zone outside the Reichstag to be cleared.
Police have cordoned off a roughly 200metre wide area of the street as they inspect a suspicious package near the fan park.
The restricted area does not impact the entire fan zone. Police say three entrances have been closed but one remains open.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow...
A Euro 2024 fan zone has been locked down in Berlin after a suspicious package was found hours before the first game of the tournament
The Reichstag fan zone on Friday after it was cleared by police officers amid security concerns
'A restricted area has been set up for safety reasons,' Berlin spokeswoman Beate Ostertag said. 'The baggage is now being examined.
'It could also be that someone did not take it into the fan zone because the bag is larger than the permitted DIN A4 size,' she added.
Police said the restricted area is roughly 200metres wide, but does not impact the entire fan zone.
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, who spoke from Munich, thanked the Berlin police for their response to the package.
'If nothing is done in the end, it is better to clear too much than too little,' Faeser said, according to Bild. 'That is why we are working so hard.'
A street is cleared and cordoned off by police officers as they inspect a suspicious package near the fan park
A police van is seen as police officers inspect a suspicious package near the fan park
Germany will play Scotland in the European Championship curtainraiser at Allianz Arena in Munich Friday night.
Notable figures from the worlds of politics and sport are set to attend the opening match. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Scotland First Minister John Swinney, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán are due to attend.
UEFA will honor late German football legend Franz Beckenbauer at the opening ceremony before the match, and Germany's two living European Championship-winning captains, Bernard Dietz (1980) and Jürgen Klinsmann (1996), will bring on the trophy.
They will be joined by Beckenbauer's wife Heidi.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino will also be at the game - with his former colleagues from UEFA - having flown to Munich overnight from Zambia, where he completed a tour of African nations.
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