The police went to the comprehensive school in Kessenich on Wednesday morning with numerous emergency personnel. According to police spokesman Simon Rott, the alarm was triggered by an automated loudspeaker announcement in the school. "In the middle of the lesson, the loudspeaker suddenly went on. We were told to close the doors and windows," a 14-year-old eighth-grader told the GA. At first, many of her classmates thought it was a test alarm, she said. When the police arrived, however, there was some panic.

According to the GA, the students barricaded themselves under their desks in the classrooms. During a dedicated line with the police, headmistress Ursula Dreeser tried to sound out the confusing situation from her office. Like everyone in the building complex, she had to lock herself in her room. "It was an unbearable situation for all of us: not knowing what was happening outside. I wasn't allowed to go outside – that's the worst. It's worse than a fire alarm, when you have to go out. With a rampage alarm, you have to wait," Dreeser said. She could not see any indications of a possible rampage at that time.

The surrounding streets around the school were closed to traffic and pedestrians by the police. This affected Hausdorffstraße, Bonner Talweg and Eduard-Otto-Straße.

After the police searched the building complex and found no evidence of suspicious persons, Dreeser was allowed to calm pupils and teachers with a loudspeaker announcement. The building was evacuated class by class and course by course. Afterwards, the emergency forces searched the school again and found no clues. The operation ended around 12.30 p.m., and from 1 p.m. onwards the officers opened the streets again. The pupils were allowed to go back to their classrooms. At the same time, the school psychology service was informed and was deployed on site.

Meanwhile, about 100 parents gathered in the schoolyard and were led to their children by the school administration. Classes were closed for the day.

"I am impressed and grateful how well it all worked out for us. The school community has stuck together," said Dreeser. Especially against the backdrop of the massacre at a Texas primary school, where an 18-year-old shot and killed 21 people just a few weeks ago, that cannot be taken for granted, he said. Dreeser: "But we don't want to build up fears either, tomorrow we plan to reopen the school as normal." So far it is unclear how the alarm had been triggered. The police have taken up the investigation.

It was only in January this year that an alarm was raised at the Elisabeth Selbert Comprehensive School in Bad Godesberg. A 17-year-old pupil, who was dissatisfied with his grades regarding the upcoming report card, had armed himself with a kitchen knife at home and wanted to go to school with it. The police received information from the family, called out a large-scale operation and informed the school. The school then started a rampage alert plan and instructed the students to go to the classrooms and barricade themselves in. The youth was arrested shortly afterwards. He was given medical treatment.

In 2019, a rampage alarm was also triggered at the school centre on Fritz-Jacobi-Straße in Hennef. However, no indications of a dangerous situation could be found. It later turned out that the alarm had been triggered unnoticed by an authorised person due to faulty operation.

(Original text: Julia Rosner; Translation: Mareike Graepel)