A German town is in lockdown after armed police swarmed a block of flats on Saturday (8 October). Officers, seen in tactical gear, have surrounded a home in Chemnitz after a suspect was thought to be "preparing a bomb attack".

"We have a static threat situation in the Fritz Heckert district and have deployed a large task force on the ground," a spokesman for Saxony Police said in a statement.

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The spokesman appealed for residents to avoid the area if possible and not to share any photos or videos of the operation on social media.

In pictures that appeared on Twitter, officers can be seen wearing body armour, helmets and carrying automatic rifles.

In another tweet, numerous armoured trucks can be seen blocking off access to the area. Another showed three camouflaged men in a next-door balcony, attempting to enter the suspect's home.

Unconfirmed reports claimed that explosives were found in the home, according to German outlet Bild.

However, further releases from Saxony Police suggest these were explosives used to enter the home in the raid. It is not yet clear what has been found in the home.

The suspect was not found at the home and their whereabouts is currently unknown.

In a further statement, the spokesperson said: "We have currently in Chemnitz a large-scale operation in suspicion of preparing a bomb attack near C0810.

"The hearing explosion was an access action of the police. A relevant person could not be found.

"Please stay within the enclosed area in your homes and observe the instructions of the police here and in the field."

Chemnitz is in eastern Germany and is roughly 80km (50 miles) west of Dresden. Between 1953 and 1990, it was known as Karl-Marx-Stadt and is the third-largest city in the Saxony region of Germany.

Its population is roughly 250,000 people.

More information to follow.

Germany