An excavator digs a hole for controlled demolition in Aachen. Bild: Ralf Roeger/dmp/dpa
The Aachen police had found explosive chemicals in an apartment – they were disposed of on site late in the evening. It wasn’t just the windows that broke.
After explosives were found during a search in Aachen two houses were damaged during the controlled demolition late on Friday evening. Around 50 residents had to leave their homes as a precaution and were taken to a nearby stadium by bus, the police said early on Saturday morning.
During the controlled detonation of the explosives in a temporary pit in front of the building, the window panes of a house shattered due to the force of the detonation. Stones were thrown into the hallway of a neighboring building. The residents of the damaged houses were initially unable to return to their apartments late in the evening.
On Friday afternoon, officers searched an apartment and accidentally came across the chemicals. The police initially did not provide any further information on the actual reason for the search. Several people from this apartment were arrested.