German city cancels parade over ‘Islamist terror threat’

The German city of Braunschweig cancelled a planned carnival parade today because of a “specific threat of an Islamist attack”, police said.

The event, which was to begin at 1650 IST, was called off following a tip by “reliable state security sources”, police said in a statement.

“Police request all visitors not to go to the planned parade route or not to make the trip to Braunschweig in the first place,” the statement said.

Police chief Michael Pientka told public broadcaster NDR there was no link between the cancellation and two fatal attacks in Copenhagen yesterday, which had come little more than a month after Islamist attacks in Paris.

Organisers said the annual event in Braunschweig was normally the biggest parade in northern Germany during February's Roman Catholic carnival season with up to 250,000 visitors expected. More than 4,000 participants in fancy dress march down a six-km route. The decision was taken by Mayor Ulrich Markurth and the parade's marshal, Gerhard Baller.