Police in Bristol have evacuated hundreds of local residents and carried out several controlled explosions following fears that a car bomb may have been planted in the city. Earlier today the Bristol Post reported that residents in the Fishponds area of the town had been asked to leave their homes, since then police and military bomb disposal teams have moved in.
Whilst details remain sketchy the bomb teams have conducted a number of controlled explosions, which are used to destroy any bomb without injury or loss of life. The controlled explosions should not be seen as evidence, in of themselves, that a bomb was present. However they are still highly unusual, even in the UK were terror threats are almost constant.
The Police established a 200 metre exclusion zone around the suspicious vehicle before carrying out the controlled explosion. Chief Supt Geoff Spicer told the Metro: “I am very grateful to residents for their continued co-operation and patience. Public safety is a priority for us and the exclusion area was set-up as a necessary precaution.
“We will be carrying out a full and thorough investigation into this incident now the controlled explosions have taken place.”
Residents are expected to be allowed to return home shortly as any danger, whether it was a genuine bomb or not, has now been eliminated. They had been congregating in a City Centre school.
British Police take bomb threats extremely seriously and investigate every lead thoroughly. This can lead to pranksters landing themselves in significant trouble, but they are likely to have a ‘credible threat’ before they would carry out a controlled explosion.
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