London’s most central railway terminal was shut for over an hour Friday morning as police responded to what they later described as a “bomb hoax”.
British Transport Police said they arrested a 38-year-old man under the Mental Health Act after he was found on the tracks claiming to have a bomb. No weapons or explosives were found.
Both the London Underground and rail stations at Charing Cross were evacuated as police responded to the incident, which was reported at 6:35 a.m. (0535 GMT) Friday. No one was injured in the incident and the station has now been re-opened.
A man claiming to have a bomb at #CharingCross station has now been arrested. We are now working to reopen the station as soon as possible would like to thank passengers and rail staff for their patience and understanding during this incident.
— British Transport Police (@BTP) June 22, 2018
According to reports, a Sergeant of the British Transport Police was first on the scene. Pictures of the scene showed a large volume of police resources deployed to Charing Cross during the incident, with members of the British Counter Terrorist Specialist Firearms Officers present in their distinctive grey uniforms.
The BBC reports the remarks of a police spokesman who said of the operation: “Officers from the Metropolitan Police and BTP specialist firearms officers also attended.
“A 38-year old man was detained by officers and has been held under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act and taken to a place of safety.”
The apparent hoax comes amid a period of heightened security in the United Kingdom, which has seen multiple terror attacks both realised to deadly effect, and prevented by security forces in recent years. Ongoing at the Old Bailey court in London are the trials of Khalid Mohammed Omar Ali, an alleged radical Muslim bomb maker who was arrested near parliament carrying knives, Mohiussunnath Chowdury, who was caught carrying a sword near Buckingham Palace, and Zakariyah Naa’Imur Rahman who was accused of a plot to bomb Downing Street.
The Associated Press contributed to this story
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