Police operation leads to the complete closure of the A861 motorway at the Swiss border

In Baden-Württemberg, the A861 motorway to Switzerland was completely closed on Wednesday. The motorway was not accessible in both directions “due to a police operation,” a spokeswoman for the federal police in Weil am Rhein told the AFP news agency in the afternoon. She did not want to give further details. “Bild” reported on an explosives alarm after a vehicle check at the Rheinfelden border crossing.

A suspicious car coming from Germany was checked as it entered Switzerland shortly before 1 p.m., Bild reported, citing its own information. Since the Swiss border guards noticed that the owner was wanted in Germany, his vehicle was checked. Explosives detection dogs struck twice. Explosives experts from the Federal Police in Germany should therefore clarify whether there were actually explosives in the vehicle.

The federal police spokeswoman did not confirm this when asked by the AFP news agency. She was also unable to provide any information on how long the closure of the A861 will last. When asked by AFP, Swiss customs confirmed that “the Rheinfelden-Autobahn border crossing is currently closed.” The reason is “an ongoing operation on the German side”. Swiss customs also did not provide any details.