Bomb threat halts ‘Topmodel’ finale, forcing thousands of fans to evacuate

[theLebanon]

Bomb threat halts ‘Topmodel’ finale, forcing Heidi Klum and thousands of fans to evacuate

PUBLISHED : Friday, 15 May, 2015, 9:27am
UPDATED : Friday, 15 May, 2015, 9:27am

Reuters in Frankfurt

Heidi Klum welcomes fans to the taping of the finale of "Germany's Next Topmodel" on Thursday at the SAP Arena in Mannheim, southwestern Germany, before a bomb threat shut down the event. Photo: AFP

A bomb threat and an unattended suitcase prompted German broadcaster ProSieben to halt filming of the finale of Germany’s Next Topmodel and evacuate thousands of people from the show’s venue on Thursday.

“We’re sorry. We’ll no longer be broadcasting today,” ProSieben said on its Twitter account.

Organisers of Germany’s Next Topmodel, which is presented by German model Heidi Klum, decided to clear the SAP Arena in the southwestern German city of Mannheim, where the show was being filmed, after an unidentified female person called in a bomb threat at around 9pm local time, a spokesman for Mannheim police said.

In addition, a suspicious suitcase was found near the cloakroom, which police said in a statement that they were examining.

Heidi Klum (left) congratulates the finalists for "Germany's Next Topmodel" on Thursday before the bomb scare. Photo: AFP

The spokesman could not say exactly how many people had been at the venue but estimated there had been around 8,000-10,000.

The police statement said the show’s audience left the SAP Arena in a calm fashion on Thursday. Newspaper Bild reported on its website that Klum, her daughter Leni and the show’s jury had been taken to an undisclosed location outside the venue.

Germany’s Next Topmodel, a reality TV show based on model Tyra Banks’ show America’s Next Top Model, has faced some criticism from groups saying it conveys unrealistic ideals of beauty to teenage viewers.

ProSieben has said it welcomed the scrutiny, saying that all independent regulators that had looked into the show so far had found it to be suitable for children aged six years and up.

German regional media regulator mabb said this month it would initiate an investigation of the show’s effect on teenagers following a complaint from activist group PinkStinks.