Manhunt launched in Leiden Centraal bomb “false alarm”

By Zack Newmark on January 28, 2015 - 13:55
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A suspicious package found taped to a support beam at Leiden Centraal was determined to be a false alarm early Wednesday afternoon. The investigation is still ongoing, as police try to track down the man who hung the mysterious black garbage bag that witnesses say appeared to have a camera attached to it.

Sometime between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m., a white man in his 20s was spotted on a platform with a silver ladder, police say. They believe he is responsible for taping the stuffed garbage bag high on a beam between tracks four and five, before leaving from the back of the train station in a dark Volvo.

The person of interest is described as being between 175 and 185 centimeters tall, wearing a long dark parka, white-soled gym shoes and a knitted cap with a ball on it. Witness reports suggest the item sticking out from the middle of the garbage back is a GoPro-style camera, secured with a cable.

Police were called to the scene by 8:30 a.m., and the situation was escalated to a Grip 1 regional incident alarm to coordinate the response effort. Trains were diverted away from the area, adding hours of travel time to commuters traveling via Leiden, The Hague, Alphen aan de Rijn, Haarlem and Hoofdorp.

After the police gave an all-clear at about 12:30 p.m., the national train service NS announce the resumption of normal service just before 1 p.m.

A Grip 1 calls for a command post to be established by emergency services managers, with consultation from the mayor, district police chief, regional fire commander and the director of public health.

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