A Bundeswehr exercise triggers a false alarm at two schools in Bad Karlshafen, North Hesse. Residents observed masked and armed people nearby and called the police.
Bad Karlshafen (dpa/lhe) – A Bundeswehr exercise, unknown to the police and the population, caused a false alarm at two neighboring schools in Bad Karlshafen in northern Hesse. Residents of the city in the Kassel district had alerted the police on Tuesday afternoon because they had observed hooded and armed people in camouflage clothing in the school area, a police spokesman said on Thursday. The “Hessisch/Niedersächsische Allgemeine” (HNA) had previously reported on it.
One of the two schools was then informed as a precaution, the police spokesman explained. Several strips were immediately sent. Contact was also made with the Bundeswehr. “At first, however, it was not possible to verify participation.” On site, the first task forces were able to quickly clarify that they were soldiers of the Bundeswehr who were completing an exercise. The schools were given the all-clear after about 45 minutes.
“We were informed by the police at 1:20 p.m. that we should bring all the children back to the school and lock all the doors,” reported the director of the Marie Durand School, Driton Mazrekaj. The neighboring Sieburg school was informed. The elementary school is connected to the building of the comprehensive school, but is self-administered. Both students and teachers were afraid of the situation. “It was an emergency for us,” stressed Mazrekaj. School psychologists were at the schools on Wednesday to discuss what had happened. More than 50 children took advantage of the offer.
The Bundeswehr confirmed that 27 soldiers were out and about on Tuesday as part of an orientation march in Bad Karlshafen. The municipal administration and the mayor were informed about the planned exercise on November 23, said Captain Martin Waltemathe, spokesman for Panzer Brigade 21 “Lipperland” in Augustdorf. “Exercises in open terrain are an important part of military troop training. I very much regret the misunderstandings surrounding the orientation exercise in the Bad Karlshafen area, especially with regard to the students and teachers affected,” explained Lieutenant Colonel Andreas Golks, commander of Supply Battalion 7 from Unna, on Thursday according to the announcement.
He had intensive discussions with the mayor of Bad Karlshafen about how joint communication between the Bundeswehr and the municipal administration could be improved in the future. Early information of the population via the local media should prevent misunderstandings in the future. The city initially did not comment on Thursday.
