Thursday's top story: Oktoberfest reopens after bomb threat debunkedÂ
After fires, shots and a bomb threat that closed the Oktoberfest, the investigations in Munich continue.
But for tourists, merchants and festival goers, everyday life around the world's largest folk festival carried on again since Wednesday evening.
From 5.30pm, the festival had opened again and visitors were allowed onto the grounds. Although, according to a dpa reporter, the alleys seemed noticeably emptier compared to other weekday Oktoberfest days.
An initial report from the festival grounds painted a picture of empty stalls, and two employees driving alone in circles on the bumper cars.
In the large tents, however, crowds danced and celebrated as exuberantly as on other Wiesn days.
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Meanwhile, in the Lerchenau district, a body still needs to be removed from the burned apartment building. Heat has thus far prevented emergency services from entering.Â
The 90-year-old father of the suspect, who is officially considered missing, is expected dead.
Interior Minister of Bavaria Joachim Herrmann (CSU) had said that the suspect had doubted the paternity of his daughter and had even submitted a petition to the Bavarian state parliament about it. The state parliament had declared the matter to be settled last year.
Germany says 3 Hamas suspects arrested were 'planning attacks'
Three suspected members of Palestinian militant group Hamas were arrested in Berlin Wednesday for allegedly planning attacks on Jewish and Israeli sites, German prosecutors said, with weapons and ammunition also seized.
The male suspects were "foreign operatives" of Hamas, who "have been involved in procuring firearms and ammunition for the organisation" in Germany, said federal prosecutors in a statement.
But Hamas denied any connection to the three men.
According to German prosecutors, an AK-47 assault rifle and several pistols, along with a stash of ammunition, were seized when the suspects were arrested.
"The weapons were to be used by Hamas for deadly attacks targeting Israeli or Jewish institutions in Germany," added the statement.
According to news outlet Der Spiegel, searches were also carried out in the eastern city of Leipzig around the same time as the arrests in Berlin.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt hailed law enforcement officials for "averting a terrorist threat".
High traffic on the rails expected over the holiday weekend
Friday marks the German Day of Reunification, a public holiday, and therefore regularly employed workers have a three-day weekend ahead.
High traffic is expected on the German railways: Many seats on Deutsche Bahn (DB) trains are already fully booked.
"The start of the autumn holidays in three federal states, sunny weather at the weekend, not least large folk festivals in the south and the reunification celebration in SaarbrĂĽcken will lead to significantly more passengers in DB passenger transport," DB announced.
On Thursday afternoon, Friday morning and Sunday, the trains are likely to be particularly full. This applies to long-distance as well as regional transport.
A number of construction sites on the railways is also affecting traffic.
Between Stuttgart and Munich, for example, trains will take at least 30 minutes longer than usual until Saturday due to repairs on the line, according to Deutsche Bahn.Â
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Germany warns of growing drone threat as incidents multiply
German authorities warned Wednesday of a growing drone threat as they confirmed that unmanned aerial vehicles feared to be Russian flew over key military and industrial sites last week.
UAVs have also been spotted over airports and military sites in Denmark and Norway, with suspicion falling on Moscow which denies all involvement.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said that "drones are being used more and more frequently in Russia's war against Ukraine, and at this point we must assume that these (sightings) are simply further developments of that trend".
"We must defend ourselves against this. These are violations of sovereignty that are unacceptable."
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said Germany needed to "find new responses to this hybrid threat" -- including greater capabilities to detect, assess and potentially shoot down drones.
Authorities had already revealed that a swarm of drones had been spotted over the state late last week.
State interior minister Sabine Suetterlin-Waack told lawmakers on Wednesday that "drone-like aircraft were sighted and reported" in several areas, "including over critical infrastructure and military installations".
She did not say who was to blame, and added the threat level in the state had not increased.
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With reporting by AFP and DPA.
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