Law court, magistrate's court and national archives in Leuven evacuated following bomb threat
An anonymous telephone bomb threat on Friday afternoon led to the evacuation of the Palace of Justice, the Magistrate's Court and the National Archives in Leuven.
Law court, magistrate's court and national archives in Leuven evacuated following bomb threat
Around 15:00, an anonymous telephone call reached the police. The caller threatened to have placed a bomb in three buildings in the centre of Leuven: the Palace of Justice, the Magistrate's Court and the National Archives.
The police responded immediately. Officers cordoned off the premises with tape and closed Smoldersplein and Vaartstraat to all traffic. The people who were present in the three buildings were quickly and orderly brought outside.
Because it was Friday afternoon, there were not many people inside. This made the evacuation simpler. At 16:00, a team with a search dog began searching the premises for explosives.
By 17:15, the services had cleared the Palace of Justice and Smoldersplein. Shortly afterwards, the Magistrate's Court and the National Archives followed. No dangerous objects were found.
The identity of the caller remains a mystery for now. Last month, Leuven station was also evacuated for hours following a similar report. A man from East Flanders was named as a suspect at that time.
Source: Het Nieuwsblad
Source: Nieuwsblad