German police have cancelled Friday's Rund um Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt race after arresting a married couple they believe were planning a terrorist attack on the event.
“Due to the actual and still unclear hazardous situation and its relationship to tomorrow’s cycling race, this event must sadly be cancelled due to safety reasons,” the police said in a statement Thursday evening. “Many people look forward, as every year, to tomorrow’s traditional event. But no matter how attractive the sport – because of the hazardous situation and the fact that at this point there are still too many unanswered questions, safety absolutely comes first!”
The couple, whose names have not yet been released, are said to have links to the Salafist scene in Frankfurt, as well as to al Qaida, Reuters reports. A search of their home turned up an automatic assault weapon, 100 rounds of live ammunition, chemicals commonly used in preparing home-made bombs and a canister full of petrol.
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Chief prosecutor Dr. Albert Schreiber said that the man had been seen “on the course of the race to be held tomorrow, between Oberursel and the Feldberg,” according to Radsport-news.com.
Wiesbaden Police Chief Stefan Müller told Reuters, "Clearly since the Boston Marathon these security concerns have been part of the considerations of how to deal with that [danger] before every marathon race in Germany - and that is also valid for cycle races.
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