Man arrested on suspicion of 'bomb hoax' after Milton Keynes shopping centre evacuated
POLICE investigating two suspicious packages in a shopping centre have arrested a man on suspicion of a bomb hoax.
Officers evacuated the John Lewis store Centre MK, Milton Keynes, and cordoned off the area this morning, advising people to stay away. Thames Valley Police said the packages did not pose a risk to the public. In a tweet the force said: “Thank you to everyone for their patience while officers dealt with this incident and we would encourage people to remain vigilant and report any concerns.
“Officers have arrested a man on suspicion of a bomb hoax offence. He is in police custody.
“The packages have now been checked by officers and have both been declared safe.
“Final checks are now taking place at the shopping centre ahead of it reopening.”
Roads around the shopping centre were closed while police dealt with the incident.
A spokesperson for John Lewis said: “We can confirm that John Lewis and Partners Milton Keynes was evacuated this morning as instructed by the police.
“The safety of our customers and partners is our top priority and we are working closely with the emergency services as they handle the situation.”
John Lewis this afternoon confirmed the store had reopened.
One person wrote on social media that the shopping centre has been "shut down" and there were "lots of police and cordon tape" around the building.
One woman with the Twitter handle @HannahBraybroo3 said she had been evacuated from John Lewis along with her mother
She wrote: "That whole area is cornered off, when we were leaving they were stopping people from entering."
A man who claims to have been inside the shopping centre when the incident unfolded described the atmosphere as "calm".
He said: "Walked up and down and you wouldnt think anything was up unless down the far end by John Lewis.
"Even parked up only a short distance away after the cordon had been erected."