German Police Search Wuppertal School For 'Masked Knifeman', No Injuries Reported

A 'masked knifeman' call prompted an extensive police operation at a Wuppertal high school in Germany's state of North Rhine-Westphalia on Friday. However, no student or faculty memeber was injured. Authorities soon gave an 'all clear', calling off the search.

Police said they received a tip-off about a 'suspicious person' roaming the halls of the school.

The search operation was conducted at around 10 AM local time. “We no longer assume there is a risk,” said a police spokesman at midday.

The Wuppertal high school students were led out of the building. Authorities said they couldn't find anything suspicious on site.

The city's mayor addressed the incident, saying: “Thank God the suspicion was not confirmed in the end. Nevertheless, it was very reassuring to see how well prepared, calmly and decisively everyone acted to ensure the safety of all students and teachers at all times."

Uwe Schneidewind further thanked policeman for their 'quick deployment and effective coordination in order to quickly bring the situation under control in this challenging situation'. "But of course also the supporting forces of the fire department, the Wuppertal municipal utilities, the St. Antonius parish and the administration."

He also asked those who were affected to 'get a good rest'. According to local media reports, the high school was scheduled to have around 700 Students and 55 teachers sit for biology, chemistry, physics and computer science exams on Friday.

School Minister Dorothee Feller (CDU) said: “I would like to thank the emergency services, the school management and everyone else in Wuppertal for their careful actions."