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1h ago

Munich Probes Confusing Oktoberfest Alert After 'Extreme Danger' Phone Message

Officials say a fixed Cell Broadcast preset dictated the phrasing, with timing set once police findings supported urgency.

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Overview

  • Police shut the Theresienwiese after finding a farewell letter tied to a Lerchenau house fire that referenced a 'bombiges Erlebnis' at the Oktoberfest.
  • At 11:04 a.m., the city’s Integrated Control Center sent a Cell Broadcast across Munich that sounded a siren and displayed the label 'Extreme Gefahr' on many phones.
  • The federal civil protection agency (BBK) said the wording attaches automatically to the medium of three warning levels and noted that customization is constrained but under review.
  • Warnings appeared inconsistently across Cell Broadcast, Katwarn and NINA, with some devices showing citywide risk, others lacking location detail, and some receiving nothing, prompting confusion in offices and schools.
  • The festival reopened at 5:30 p.m. after searches and visitors returned Thursday, while Bavaria’s interior minister and the Wiesn chief criticized the alert’s clarity and called for improvements.