BERLIN: German police said Sunday they confiscated 850 kilos of fireworks and firecrackers from a 23-year-old man in Hamburg, ahead of New Year's festivities.
Police were tipped off by the man's neighbour that he was stockpiling a large quantity of pyrotechnics.
Officers descending on the man's home found the fireworks packed into his apartment, cellar and two vans, a police spokeswoman told national news agency DPA. The pyrotechnics contained around 80 kilos of explosive substances -- 80 times over the limit of fireworks that can be legally stored in a private home.
Fireworks and rockets are an essential part of New Year's festivities in Germany, with revellers firing off huge amounts of pyrotechnics from balconies or their lawns.
They are sold on the last three days of the year, with people in Germany spending 137 million euros ($156 million) on them last year.
Liberal Justice Elena Kagan on Sept. 13, 2016. — Slate website WASHINGTON: U.S. Supreme Court justices, wading back...
A representational image of inmates behind jail bars. — Unsplash/FileMOSCOW: A Russian court on Wednesday ordered...
Sudanese soldiers guard the surrounding area of the UNMIS compound in El-Fasher, the administrative capital of North...
US quietly shipped ATACMS missiles to Ukraine. — Report news agencyWASHINGTON: The United States in recent weeks...
US President Joe Biden during his address in California. — AFP FileWASHINGTON: President Joe Biden signed a...
The World Meteorological Organisation flag. — AFP FileGENEVA: Global temperatures hit record highs last year, and...