German police have arrested “several people” over a threat of an attack on a synagogue on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, a source close to the case told AFP Thursday.

The arrests followed a huge police deployment late Wednesday at the synagogue in the western city of Hagen, which was forced to cancel an event over the threat.

Police in Germany said they had received information about a possible threat to a synagogue in the western town of Hagen and had put appropriate measures in place to deal with it.

A spokesperson declined to give further details about the operation on Thursday evening, which coincides with the Jewish festival of Yom Kippur, when observant Jews hold overnight vigils in synagogues.