Charing Cross evacuated as man on tracks claims to have a bomb

Charing Cross station was evacuated and placed under lockdown this morning after a man on the tracks claimed he had a bomb.

British Transport Police (BTP) were first called to reports of a man trespassing on the underground tracks in the busy London commuter hub at 6.35am, the BBC reports.

Met Police said they were called to assist with an incident involving a man “acting suspiciously”.

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London Underground lines passing through the station were subject to lengthy delays as electricity was switched off to allow armed police to respond to the stand-off.

Half an hour later, “witnesses reported seeing armed police swarm on the station” after the unidentified man claimed he had a bomb, the London Evening Standard reports. Passengers were evacuated and the station cordoned off.

At 7.50am, BTP tweeted that the man had been detained without incident and taken into custody.

In a statement, BTP said: “We are now 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.”

By 8am, Tube services had resumed, but Northern line trains are not currently stopping at Charing Cross.