Frankfurt: Organizers of May Day cycle race in Frankfurt said on Friday (May 1) that in light of the security issues “it was important” to cancel it. However the organizers insisted that they would not let themselves be frightened by such threats.
The Frankfurt Cycle Race was scheduled to be held on May 1
“I also think that we must not let ourselves be terrorized,” said the organizer of bicycle race, Bernd Moos-Achenbach. “Because then we’ll have the next one tomorrow who closes down events he doesn’t like. That can’t be the way.”
Police had cancelled the race on Thursday (April 30) evening, after they had thwarted a planned Islamist attack, detaining a couple with suspected Salafist militant links.
A search of their home had turned up an automatic assault weapon, 100 rounds of live ammunition, chemicals commonly used in preparing home-made bombs and a canister full of petrol.
The 35-year-old man had dual Turkish-German citizenship and a criminal record, said Hesse police chief Stefan Mueller. His wife was Turkish and two young children found in their home by police were being cared for by social services.
Police decided to detain the man after he was seen buying large amounts of chemicals which can be used to make explosives – using a false name. He was also seen along the route of Frankfurt’s May 1 cycle race, which attracts thousands of participants and spectators every year.
German newspaper Die Welt identified the couple by their first names and initial – Halil and Senay D. – and said they had links to the Salafist scene in Frankfurt and to the al Qaeda network. It did not identify the source for its report.
Despite the cancellation, many hobby cyclists cycled along the route in order to set a signal against violence and attacks.
“They came from all corner with their bicycles to show their solidarity (after the race was officially cancelled),” Moos-Achenbach said. “Certain is at this moment that they will be in Frankfurt at the Openplatz (opera square in downtown Frankfurt) 20 minutes after 12 (local).”
Salafists advocate a puritanical form of Islam and Germany’s BfV domestic intelligence agency says their numbers are rising, as is the number of potential recruits for Islamic State.
The BfV estimates that 450 people from Germany have travelled to Syria and Iraq to join radical jihadist forces.
Ventuno