At 19:40 local time, the Federal Criminal Police (BKA) informed the Munich police that they had received information about 5-7 Islamic State (IS, ISIS / ISIL) suicide bombers preparing a terrorist attack on the city, Munich police chief Hubertus Andrä said at a press conference.
Andrä added that there are 550 officers deployed in Munich right now, but they have yet to find any indication of an imminent threat.
The exact location and time of the allegedly planned attacks were given, which alarmed the authorities and forced them to act, the official explained.
Munich police tweeted that they reopened both train stations at 4:15 am local time (3:15am GMT), adding that police forces remain on alert and will maintain a presence at both sites.
Earlier, Polizei München said on Facebook that the train stations will be sealed off indefinitely. Police also asked the public to follow their further instructions.
The warning was issued “due to a serious indication of terror attack threat in Munich area.”
There is the danger of an attack in the area of munich, please keep away from crowds, avoid the central station and the rail station pasing.
— Polizei München (@PolizeiMuenchen) December 31, 2015
The information received by police referred to an attack planned specifically for New Year’s night. Citizens have thus been asked to avoid crowded places throughout the entire city as police work to identify possible suspects.
Meanwhile in central Munich, New Year celebrations went on without incident, although the warning made some of the people on Marienplatz nervous or irritated.
Heavily armed police units have been placed at the entrances and exits of the central train station in Munich, Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), radio reported.
According to BR, there could be several terrorists groups trying to attack various parts of the city. “We have concrete evidence that we cannot sweep this under the carpet,” a police spokesperson said on Thursday.
City’s police said that, to “provide safety,” it is getting help from the armed forces of South Bavaria.