Man arrested after claiming to have bomb at Charing Cross in London; tube station evacuated

Armed security forces arrested a man who claimed to have a bomb at the Charing Cross station in London on Friday morning. The British Transport Police (BTP) said that the station had been evacuated based on the information of a man on the tracks claiming to have a bomb, around noon (IST). [caption id=“attachment_4570271” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] “A man claiming to have a bomb at Charing Cross station has now been arrested. We are working to reopen the station as soon as possible, and would like to thank passengers and rail staff for their patience and understanding during this incident,” BTP said soon after the arrest.  Scotland Yard was called in to assist the BTP at the station. Photos on social media showed multiple police vehicles and armed officers outside the station, close to Trafalgar Square. Witnesses described several police vehicles descending upon Charing Cross, through which both overground and underground trains run, and passengers were told to “move away” as the station was evacuated during the morning rush hour, The Telegraph reported.  Footage on social media showed a large police presence including armed officers at the station which receives commuters to the capital from southeast England.

No injuries have been reported in the incident. Britain is on currently on its second highest threat level of “severe”, meaning an attack by militants is considered highly likely, reported News18. The Northern Line is currently closed. “There is currently no southbound service from Camden Town to Kennington via Charing Cross, due to a customer incident. Northbound trains are also not calling at Charing Cross,” said the official release. With inputs from IANS.