Bomb alert hoax hits Strasbourg

PARTS of Strasbourg city centre were evacuated on Saturday evening in a bomb alert that turned out to be a hoax.

Police received two anonymous phone calls shortly after 19.00 warning of a bomb inside Strasbourg cathedral.

Nearby restaurants, cafes and hotels were closed and a security cordon put up around the area.

Searches by police dogs revealed nothing and the area was reopened at about 21.30.

According to local newspaper L'Alsace, a 20-year-old man was arrested nearby.

He was already known to police for similar hoaxes in the past and faces up to two years in prison and a €30,000 fine.

Photo: NeuCeu/Wikimedia