10,000 evacuated from Moscow public spaces over bomb threats

The bomb threats were received “almost simultaneously”, and bomb squads with sniffer dogs were present at the sites.

Russian security agencies evacuated at least 10,000 people from shopping centres, railway stations and universities in Moscow after receiving threats of buildings being rigged with explosives.

Security personnel were evacuating civilians from at least 20 sites. (Reuters file)

The threats were received “almost simultaneously”, RT reported, adding that bomb squads with sniffer dogs were present at the sites.

Tass news agency said security personnel were evacuating civilians from at least 20 sites. It quoted a source saying that it appeared to be case of “telephone terrorism”.

Russia has been plagued by a series of anonymous bomb threats over the past four days, leading to the evacuation of at least 45,000 people. Interfax news agency reported that the evacuations began in Omsk on Sunday and later occurred Ryazan. Over the next two days, anonymous threats were issued in Chelyabinsk, Ufa, Stavropol, Kopeisk, Perm, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg and other cities.

The threats in Saratov region were made anonymously through internet voice calls, The Moscow Times quoted the Federal Security Service’s regional branch as saying on Wednesday.