The tip about a possible attack during the friendly football match between Germany and the Netherlands on Tuesday evening came from a foreign secret service.

Provincial minister Joachim Herrmann told Bavarian television that information was received that ‘an attack would take place within 48 hours at a sports event in Germany’. He would not say which country’s secret service provided the information.

At a news conference earlier in the evening, Germany’s home affairs minister Thomas de Maizière told reporters that no explosives had been found in the stadium or surrounding area.

However, there had been an increasing amount of evidence that Hanover would be subject to an attack, he said. ‘We had no choice but to cancel the match,’ he said.

KNVB director Bert van Oostveen told Dutch media that step one was to get the Dutch team to safety. ‘Step two was to ensure the fans and our other people could get away safely. We did not want to leave anyone behind at the stadium.’ he said.

The supporters returned to the centre of Hanover where they had spent the afternoon. ‘Our people are now trying to get them home,’ Van Oostveen said.