Ancienne Belgique evacuated after false bomb threat

The Ancienne Belgique was evacuated for over an hour on Saturday evening due to a false bomb alert.

About 1,000 concertgoers were told to leave the venue at about 21.00 and a police sniffer dog was sent in to detect possible explosives.

A police spokesman told RTBF that a group of people came to the police station near the Grand-Place at 20.30 claiming they had overheard people saying the venue "was going to blow up".

A safety perimeter was established around the concert hall. As a precautionary measure, several establishments on Rue des Pierres and a cafe in front of Ancienne Belgique were also evacuated.

The search revealed nothing suspicious and police allowed concertgoers to gradually re-enter the venue in groups of 10. The concert, by Jain, started at 22.30.