German police have detained four teenagers who sent hundreds of people fleeing in panic by throwing firecrackers at the Thier-Galerie shopping mall in Dortmund, local media report. Seven people were injured in the stampede.
The shopping mall, located in the center of the city and close to the famous Dortmund Christmas market, was fully packed on Saturday night, when a group of youths allegedly threw several firecrackers into the crowd.
Hundreds of people fled in panic and fear of a potential terrorist attack, according to German media and witnesses’ accounts on social media. Rescuers and first responders rushed to the scene to get the situation under control.
Dortmund police have confirmed that, so far, seven people were wounded in the incident, but did not rule out that more people might contact authorities later. The severity of their injuries and how exactly they got them wasn’t immediately clear. Authorities confirmed that four teenagers, aged between 15 and 16, were arrested in relation to the incident, and provided no further details of their ongoing investigation.
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