Explosion at Augsburg main station: two injured, hand grenade suspected
An object detonated overnight in a shopping arcade near Augsburg main station, injuring two young people. Around 200 emergency responders cordoned off the area.
Detonation in Augsburg shopping arcade – police secure main station
At 3.15 a.m. on Wednesday, the Swabian North police headquarters was alerted: an object had detonated in a shopping arcade on Bahnhofsstraße, near Königsplatz in Augsburg. Two people were injured, and building façades and shop windows were damaged. According to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, indications from the afternoon suggest that a hand grenade may have exploded – the police refused to confirm this, citing ongoing investigations.
The injured are a 17-year-old woman and an 18-year-old man. Both suffered blast trauma but were otherwise unharmed. Police classify them as victims; they were questioned as witnesses. Both were apparently at the scene by chance.
Second suspicious object in station tunnel
At around 8.30 a.m., officers discovered another suspicious object in the station tunnel directly at the main station. An explosives-detection dog and specialists from the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office eventually gave the all-clear. The main station was fully closed until 10 a.m.; the forecourt and platform 1 had previously been evacuated. Thereafter, trains on connections to Munich, Ulm and Ingolstadt resumed running through the Swabian metropolis.
At its peak, around 200 personnel from the Swabian North police headquarters, the riot police, the Federal Police and the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office were involved in the operation.
Jeweller as possible target
The affected building on Bahnhofsstraße contains several doctor's surgeries, a travel agency, a drugstore, a bank branch and a jeweller. According to police, building façades and windows of the jewellery shop and surrounding stores were damaged. Investigators kept the arcade and surrounding area cordoned off well into the morning to secure evidence. Video recordings, including from the bank branch, are being evaluated.
"The exact course of events and the motives behind the act are the subject of ongoing criminal police investigations," police said in the afternoon. Rumours that investigations are focusing on organised crime were not commented on by the authority.
Extensive disruptions to local and long-distance services
The hours-long closures had considerable consequences for public transport. Bus and tram services were unable to serve stops around the station; Augsburg transport company deployed replacement buses and diverted regular routes to other terminals. Numerous commuters heading to Munich, the Allgäu and northern Swabia waited in vain for connections.
Source: Süddeutsche Zeitung