A controlled explosion was reportedly conducted outside 30 St Mary Axe – known as the Gherkin building – in the City of London after police closed streets due to a suspicious vehicle.
Locked-in office workers filmed a bomb disposal robot, and reported hearing a controlled explosion.
Bomb disposal robot on site at the #Gherkin #stmarysaxe Looks like its trying to open the boot of the car. Controlled explosion just took place. pic.twitter.com/AAUR2qqLDF
— Ben Ruddlesdin (@B_Ruddlesdin) November 28, 2017
Blocked in our office due to a suspicious vehicle outside.. controlled explosion just carried out 🤭 #stmarysaxe
— Lynsey (@Lynseym247) November 28, 2017
Road closures were lifted when the vehicle, a silver Ford Focus, was later deemed “non-suspicious”.
On lockdown 🙄 pic.twitter.com/UCA0mclPZ3
— Nαncy~mαy Turnعr♬ (@nancymayturner) November 28, 2017
The driver of the vehicle was arrested for possession of false identity documents, City of London police said.
Ben Ruddlesdin, an underwriter at Navigators Insurance Company, said he and his colleagues were told via Tannoy to close blinds and move away from windows as part of an “invacuation”.
He witnessed two controlled explosions by peering out of an office window.
He said: “After around 10-15 minutes, a police bomb disposal robot was seen approaching the car. After heading towards the boot, a large bang was heard which we took to be the lock of the boot either being blown or shunted off.
“The robot then approached the rear, right-side door and performed the same action. After retreating, a police dog was sent in who spent around five minutes sniffing around the car before a policeman approached also. The cordon was then lifted.”
After the reports of a controlled explosion a police sniffer dog and its handlers were filmed searching the open boot of the vehicle.
#bombthreat gherkin pic.twitter.com/C2rfP6x0yj
— Raz Ahmed (@RazlilNicky) November 28, 2017
Earlier, City of London police confirmed officers were at the scene after a report at 11.32am of a suspicious vehicle outside the building.
A spokeswoman could not confirm whether a controlled explosion had taken place.
The incident highlights the continued nervousness in London following four terrorist incidents this year.
Last Friday, a violent row between two men triggered a mass panic at Oxford Circus underground station in London in which nine people were injured.
