British Shopping Centre Evacuated After Device ‘Ignites’

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Breitbart London

The Fishergate shopping centre in Preston, Lancashire, England was evacuated today after a device intended to “endanger life” went off in a bin.

An army bomb-disposal squad is on the scene and have deployed a bomb removal robot, although surrounding roads have now been re-opened by police, suggesting the threat is not as large as first thought. Lancashire police told Breitbart London the device was a small one of amateur construction and the damage caused was “extremely minimal”.

When pressed on whether the ignition has been caused by a detonator going off but failing to set a larger a device, the force would not comment.

Police fear there could be more incendiary devices planted and the centre will be searched thoroughly before it can be re-opened. Officers were initially called at 09:10 this morning after a small fire was started in a toilet in the Fishergate centre. It was put out almost immediately and caused no damage.

Chief Superintendent James Lee of Preston police said of the event today: “I would describe it as a small incendiary device which could have caused damage or injury to someone had it fully gone off.

“There’s no other issues or intelligence to suggest anything else will happen in Preston, it’s just purely Fishergate centre, and we need to make sure it is safe and secure for people to go back into”.

He added that the device had likely been planted deliberately, rather than accidentally set.

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