Berlin's BER Terminal 1 cleared after passenger reports suspicious luggage

Germany's federal police, which oversee transport security, evacuated Terminal 1 of Berlin's BER airport on Thursday evening after a female passenger alerted staff to a possible dangerous substance in her bag. A police spokesperson confirmed that the unidentified material could not be dismissed as harmless, prompting a luggage danger alert and the removal of travelers from the building. Witnesses and a reporter posted images of crowds gathered outside and emergency vehicles near the lower-level entrance.

The airport's online information only indicated that several flights departing around 7 p.m. were slightly delayed, with no direct acknowledgment of the evacuation. BER, the country's third-busiest airport and a hub for government flights, handles about 26 million passengers annually. Officials have not provided further details at this early stage.