Bomb alert hoax hits Strasbourg

Man arrested over anonymous phone calls which prompted area around cathedral to be evacuated on busy Saturday evening

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