Explosions, gun fire, the cries from injured people at the train station in Stuttgart. Police, Fire department and ambulances with lights and sirens blaring, racing towards the main train station. If you encounter that in Stuttgart tomorrow evening – don’t be alarmed. No terrorist thought of picking this memorable date for an attack.



The whole world is remembering the victims of the 9/11 attacks. TV stations will once again show the pictures, the pictures that many of us wont ever forget. It will be a day to remember the victims, the first responders, fire fighters and police officers that lost their lives during that mission. Everyone will recall that moment, when they first hear about the tragic events that were going on. I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was sitting at work in my office, it was close to 3 pm here in Germany. I got a call from one of my American friends that lived in New York at the time. I turned on the TV and saw the flames coming out of one of the towers of the WTC. I had no idea what was going on, I just thought about how I was up there just 6 years ago, looking out onto the city from the observation deck. Then all of us- all over the world realized what was happening. Right when seen the horrible pictures, live on the TV – as the second place crashed into the second tower. September 11, a day that is spend mourning the lives lost, all over the world. Each in their own way. Only in Stuttgart… the police thought the date would be the perfect time to hold a huge anti-terror exercise.

All together there will be about 800 first responders will be practicing the emergency. Parts of the train station will be blocked off, outside of the train station will be partially blocked off too. Platform 6 will be closed and an empty train will sit there, privacy screens will be set up. That is to prevent to scare travelers off, because of the victims will be professionally made up with fake injuries and to keep the police rescue plans secret. Platforms 1-6 will be closed when the exercise starts at 8pm and it is supposed to last till about 5am on the 12th of September. Jonas Große, the speaker of the state police said the following about the date:” we did not choose the date on purpose, we just had to settle on a day that all the different agencies were available.” They are well aware of the symbolic date and will be as respectful as possible.

Personally I feel that exercises like that are very important and needed – on 364 other days of the year – but not on 9/11.