An explosion close to a train station in Germany led to a temporary closure of the transport hub in Augsburg on Wednesday morning due to the discovery of a suspicious object. Police later confirmed that the object was harmless, and the station reopened at 10 a.m., with trains resuming their services.
Police spokesperson Timo Küfner announced that the all-clear was given after confirming the harmless nature of the object found in front of the main train station. Trains were back in operation following the incident.
The explosion, caused by an unidentified object in a passageway near the station around 3:15 a.m., resulted in minor injuries to a 17-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man, both Ukrainian citizens. A second suspicious object was found at the main train station but did not explode, prompting the station’s closure at 8:30 a.m.
Explosives experts from the Bavarian state criminal police office were on-site investigating the incident. It is still early to determine a motive for the explosion, according to Küfner, who mentioned disruptions in road traffic and public transportation in the station’s vicinity during the early morning hours.
Reports indicated that a hand grenade detonated in front of a jewelry store early in the morning, suggesting the train station was not the intended target. Augsburg, located in Bavaria with a population of 308,000, is around 78 kilometers northwest of Munich.
Recent events in Germany have heightened tensions, with the German government accusing Russia of an attempted attack using a drone loaded with explosives at Leipzig/Halle Airport last month. This led to measures being taken against Moscow, including the closure of a Russian consulate. Authorities defused the drone near a Ukrainian plane on August 4, emphasizing the increased threat level posed by such incidents.
Western officials have accused Moscow of engaging in disruptive activities across Europe to undermine support for Ukraine and destabilize European nations.