Emmanuel Thomas, with DPA I Tuesday, April 18, 2023
HAMBURG – A busy train station in north-western Germany was partially evacuated and trains halted after a passenger left behind a power bank designed to look like a hand grenade.
A 38-year-old passenger left the battery charger, which according to police looked deceptively like a real hand grenade, between seats on a train headed for Hanover Central Station on Tuesday morning. A 23-year-old fellow passenger noticed the item and alerted authorities.
Police cleared the train and nearby platforms while summoning experts from Germany’s bomb disposal agency, which typically deals with unexploded bombs dropped during World War II.
The explosives experts ascertained that it was in fact only a battery pack meant to recharge cellphones and other small electronics.
The Hanover Central Station was reopened after just less than an hour.
Police, meanwhile, used security footage to track the owner of the item, who boarded a high-speed train for Hamburg after leaving the power bank behind in Hanover. She was arrested at the Hamburg-Harburg train station and is under criminal investigation for disturbing the public peace.
