Roads were evacuated in London's financial district and St Paul's underground railway station closed on Tuesday morning as police investigated the discovery of a "suspicious package" in a building there.
The commotion has caused panic on social networks, where users shared photos and their impressions of what was going on, via the hashtag #stpauls.
Suspicious package at #stpauls. Police dogs present. pic.twitter.com/OEHMlx5lOh
— Latif Yahya (@LatifYahya) 5 декабря 2017 г.
St Pauls is in lockdown. ‘Suspicious package’ and police everywhere!
— Niall James (@NiallJames8787) 5 декабря 2017 г.
#London #StPauls pic.twitter.com/jM5VxfWQWy
— Davide (@ricci_davide77) 5 декабря 2017 г.
Trapped in the staircase.#evacuation #stpauls #london # pic.twitter.com/dLKGqKCG1k
— Joanna (@JoasiaKiss) 5 декабря 2017 г.
Shortly after the initial report, the police reassured people that the package is "non-suspicious."
The item has now been deemed non suspicious and officers are working to clear the incident. Cordons are still currently in place.
— City of London Police (@CityPolice) 5 декабря 2017 г.
Nevertheless, some Twitter users reported that a "controlled explosion" had been carried out.
I heard a controlled #explosion in #stpauls pic.twitter.com/453vCSXZ0n
— Aris Markogiannakis (@roi3) 5 декабря 2017 г.
After a controlled explosion, the cordon has been lifted, the security alert is over, and we're all back to normal now in #stpauls :-)
— Natasha Reynolds (@Tasha_Reynolds) 5 декабря 2017 г.
St Paul's is now reopen and safe folks, following a controlled explosion #Stpauls pic.twitter.com/ToRRfGwPxa
— Samantha Henry (@ScifiDQ) 5 декабря 2017 г.
The incident comes after a mass panic on November 24 amid fears of a terror attack in London, which turned out to be a false alarm. Several people reported hearing gunshots at Oxford Circus underground train station, which was evacuated as a result, along with local shops. However, a subsequent investigation has found that the commotion, which injured 15 commuters, was linked to an altercation between two men on the platform of the underground station.
