Ticking alarm clocks cause bomb scare at Brussels banking conference

Three-hundred people were evacuated from a conference at the National Bank of Belgium after ticking alarm clocks hidden underneath their seats started to ring at the same time.

Investigators have ruled out the presence of any explosives and believe the bomb scare could have been a stunt organised by activists.

The national bank's headquarters, near Brussels Central station, was hosting an event organised by the European Banking Federation.

All the delegates left the auditorium safely and a security perimeter was set up while the Belgian army bomb disposal squad Sedee searched the site.

Denis Goeman, a spokesman for the Brussels public prosecutor's office, said: "The first elements of the investigation indicate that six alarm clocks were triggered at the same time.

"The ticking sounded like a timer before an explosion, which explains why there was panic in the audience."