Braunschweig, Germany hosts a carnival each year that draws crowds of up to 250,000. The Braunshweig carnival known as Schoduvel was cancelled this year because of a terror alert that reportedly showed a "concrete danger" of attack. Police canceled the parade about 90 minutes before it began.
German police said information of the attack was received Saturday, and they took action to follow up on the lead on Sunday morning. A motivation behind the attacks or other information about the attacks was not revealed. Police told the German public that the terror alert was unrelated to a Danish man shooting two individuals, one during a seminar on free speech and another in a synagogue.
Despite the UK raising its level of terror threats from substantial to severe, German police said there was no imminent threat in Germany. However, the police were monitoring the situation after an EU-wide terror threat has been raised, following the attacks in France and Denmark.
The glaring similarities between the Paris and Copenhagen attacks was the targeting of journalists, particularly cartoonists and Jews along with lone gunmen with a history of crime carrying out the attacks.
Each year, the Braunshweig carnival turns out 4,500 participants for a parade along with about 100 floats.
The Mayor of Braunschweig, Ulrich Markurth, said the terror threat had to be taken "very very" seriously. He called it a "sad day for our city … and a sad day for our democratic society." The German interior ministry said the terror threat was not any higher in the country after the attack in the Copenhagen.
Schoduvel, sponsored by Braunshweig also known as Brunswick, is a medieval type of carnival reflecting 13th century northern Germany. The annual Rosenmontag parade takes place in Braunscweig every year. Once an industrial center in Germany, Braunshweig later became prominent for its role in the automotive industry.
The city is the largest German city between Hannover and Berlin. "Many of Braunschweig's most historic buildings surround the city center Burgplatz (Castle Square), including the 12th-century Braunschweiger Dom (Brunswick Cathedral), burial place of the famed Henry the Lion, powerful early Duke of Saxony," shared TripAdvisor.com.
