Germans are receiving a troubling text message from their mobile phone network. Instructions suggest they close the interior door of their house, power off all lights, and evacuate the family, bring the pets indoors and close all doors.
It is the latest security scare at the soccer stadium Neukoelln, a district which is home to more than 14,000 residents. Football fans fled the area following reports of gunshots, but only one bullet was found.
The incident was a previously unimaginable occurrence for Germans who have been spared of a terrorist attack since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War.
Officials of the German Ministry of Interior say they cannot rule out a new lockdown of Neukoelln.
Frauke Petry, head of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party praised the officials, saying that officials handled the situation “very efficiently.”
Petry said she wanted the investigation into the shooting incident “to move forward rapidly so that we can bring those responsible to justice.”
Marie-Louise Prutty, a German representative for Physicians Without Borders (PWW), said that patients in the Neukoelln’s hospital, Neutalk Gewissen, have been evacuated from the intensive care units to the high and medium security facilities. She adds that the emergency room, general clinic and ambulances have all been moved off site.