Germany’s Rock am Ring festival resumes after terror scare

Rock am Ring, one of the largest music festivals in Germany, had to be evacuated on Friday night due to what police had called "a possible terrorist threat."

Organisers asked fans at the three-day event in Nürburg to leave calmly after police in the nearby city of Koblenz said they were in possession of "concrete elements, in the light of which a possible terrorist threat cannot be ruled out."

Around 80,000 people had travelled to the festival, and headliners Rammstein had not yet taken to the stage when the announcement was made.

Having earlier declared their confidence that they will get the go-ahead from the authorities to continue, the organisers were able to confirm on Saturday morning that the show could resume at the Nürburgring sports complex.

A statement released on Facebook read: "These are the news we all have been waiting for: Rock am Ring 2017 will go on! After intensive searches and sweeps of the complete festival site by the police the suspicion of a potential terrorist threat has not been confirmed.

"Set up for day 2 of Rock am Ring has commenced and the program is going to be resumed in the early afternoon. The incredibly disciplined fans deserve all our respect and gratitude."

Security for the festival had already been stepped up, with an additional 1,200 staff, in response to the attack in Manchester on 22 May following an Ariana Grande concert.

Rock am Ring and Rock im Park are two simultaneous annual rock festivals, with the latter taking place in Zeppelinfeld, Nuremberg. The other headliner this year was System of a Down.

Last year, Rock am Ring’s scheduled was interrupted by violent storms which saw around 80 festivalgoers injured by lightning strikes.

http://www.rock-am-ring.com