German police respond to ‘possible threat’ at synagogue in Hagen as Jews mark Yom Kippur

Dozens of police officers have reportedly been deployed on the streets surrounding a synagogue in the western-German city of Hagen, amid warnings of a “threat” to the building. The alert comes on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur.

“We currently have indications of a possible dangerous situation in connection with a Jewish facility in Hagen,” the North Rhine-Westphalia state police department in the neighboring city of Dortmund stated on Wednesday evening. “Police protective measures have been adapted accordingly,” the statement continued, adding: “We are in close contact with the Jewish community.”

#Hagen +++ Polizisten einer Hundertschaft haben den Bereich um die Synagoge abgesperrt. Polizei geht offenbar von einer Anschlagsdrohung aus. #eil pic.twitter.com/sOMFBHwp6u

— Andreas Wegener (@Andreas_Wegener) September 15, 2021

A police spokesperson told Reuters shortly afterwards that officers were responding to an unspecified “threat” to the building. 

The nature of the threat remains unclear, but photographs taken by the Westfalenpost, a local newspaper, show heavily armed officers patrolling nearby streets, which have been closed to traffic. 

While initial reports suggested “hundreds” of cops were taking part in the operation, the actual number of officers involved was lost in translation, as “Hundertschaft” is used by the local media to describe police units of various size. 

There are a lot of tweets about the situation near the synagogue in #Hagen. Some of them translate the German word "Hundertschaft" as "hundred cops" or even "hundreds of cops". This is not correct. "Hundertschaft" means German riot police. 1/3

— Sebastian Weiermann (@SWeiermann) September 15, 2021

In a follow-up thread, the North Rhine-Westphalia police said that they were unable to tell when traffic restrictions in Hagen will be lifted. 

+++ AKTUELLE INFORMATION +++
Die Potthofstraße und ein Abschnitt der Dahlenkampstraße in #Hagen sind durch unseren Einsatz gesperrt. Anwohner führen wir zu Fuß durch die Absperrung. pic.twitter.com/VKJhOvoHb9

— Polizei NRW DO (@polizei_nrw_do) September 15, 2021

The situation unfolded as the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur began at sundown. Yom Kippur is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, and observant Jews mark the occasion by fasting, praying, and abstaining from work.

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