Police search in Mils and Hall finds no armed man

A police operation in Mils and Hall in Tirol ended without an armed man or weapon being found after reports of a man carrying a firearm, ORF reported. The search interrupted a football match in Mils on Saturday evening.

Police officers wearing bulletproof vests and carrying firearms arrived at the Mils football ground during the 85th minute of the match between Mils and Hall. Police had received a report that a man with a firearm was heading north through Mils, in the direction of the ground.

About 300 spectators were at the match when officers stopped the game and searched the crowd. “It is of course an unpleasant situation when you hear something like that. But the operation was calm and without any excitement,” Manuel Eiterer, chairman of SC Mils, told ORF Tirol. The officers left after about 15 minutes.

Shortly afterwards, police received another report from Hall that someone had seen an armed person there. Several patrols searched the area again, and officers checked people whose appearance at least partly matched the description.

Police spokesman Stephan Eder said officers took both reports seriously. Both searches ultimately produced no result, and no weapon was found, he said.

The match resumed at 1-1 after the operation. In the final five minutes, the visitors were awarded a penalty, but the Mils goalkeeper saved it.