German festival Rock am Ring evacuates audiences following terrorist threat

Culture

One of Germany's largest rock festivals, Rock am Ring, was forced to evacuate its audience Friday following a terrorist threat. The festival shared the announcement on Facebook, asking 80,000 attendees "to leave the festival site in a calm and controlled manner toward the exits and camping grounds."

In a statement, the Rhineland-Palatinate police based in Koblenz, Germany, said they encountered a "possible terrorist threat" and could not share further details during the investigation. Organizers hope the festival can go forward as planned Saturday.

Videos taken of the festival grounds shared via Twitter show audience members filing out in an orderly fashion.

The evacuation comes just 11 days after a suicide bomber detonated a homemade explosive in the Manchester Arena in England following a Ariana Grande concert. As an immediate response to the Manchester attack, venue security and police departments across Europe bolstered their security teams. London's Metropolitan Police Service have stationed "highly visible reassurance patrols around key locations," according to a statement, and Rock am Ring's organizers also positioned 1,200 security personnel in advance of the festival.

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