HAGEN, Germany, Sept. 15 (Reuters) – A large number of armed police were deployed on Wednesday evening to protect a synagogue in western Germany after authorities said they had received information about a threat against it.
A police officer who was at the scene said no one was injured during the operation in the synagogue in Hagen, a town of about 200,000 people in the Ruhr industrial region.
A police spokesman said the deployment had begun at 7:30 p.m., local time, and was continuing. She declined to give further details about the threat, which coincided with the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, when observant Jews hold overnight vigils in synagogues. It was not clear if there was anyone in the synagogue.
“We have information about a possible threat related to a Jewish institution in Hagen,” Dortmund police had previously said. dit on Twitter. “Protective measures have been taken in response. We are in close contact with the Jewish community.”
Police later added that the road that passed directly in front of the synagogue was closed and that, on request, pedestrians were being escorted through the closed section.
In 2019, a right-wing extremist launched an armed attack on a synagogue in the eastern city of Halle and shot dead two pedestrians. Police then faced criticism for slowly attending the scene, although they eventually arrested the assailant, who is now serving a life sentence for the murders.
Report by Stephane Nitschke, written by Thomas Escritt, edited by Rosalba O’Brien and Grant McCool
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