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Thousands evacuated in England on bomb threat

People are evacuated along the Bristol Road in Birmingham city center, central England Saturday, due to a security alert after police closed the entire city center. PHOTO: EPA

Some 20,000 people were evacuated from the central English city of Birmingham overnight Saturday in response to a "credible threat" which no longer exists, police said.

The evacuation came amid heightened tensions in Britain since the Thursday morning rush hour bombings on London's transport system in which at least 50 people were killed and some 700 injured.

Police early yesterday lifted a cordon around the city center, including the nightlife hub, after bomb disposal squad officers carried out four controlled explosions on a bus before ruling a second suspect package harmless.

Paul Scott-Lee, chief constable for the West Midlands Police, told reporters yesterday that police had acted on a "credible threat" received by intelligence services that "was specific about the time and also the locations."

But Scott-Lee would not elaborate on the nature of the threat.

He put the threat in the context of the broader global climate on terrorism, saying it was unrelated to the suspicious packages which were found and turned out to be harmless.

"It was not a false threat. It was a serious threat. The intelligence indicated that the people of Birmingham were in danger last night. And we responded to make sure that the people were taken out of the danger area," he said.

He added that the suspect packages, including one with wires coming out, were not deposited as a hoax.

Asked if there was still a credible threat, he replied: "As we've carried out our operation, I can say that that particular threat has gone away."

"But I come back to what I said right at the beginning, given the world state and terrorism as it is, threats will remain but that one has been dealt with," he said.

The second package, a box with wires coming out and a switch on top, was found in a hotel in the Broad Street entertainment quarter.

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