Bomb threat forces hours-long evacuation of Maastricht movie theater and Maastunnel

Police in Maastricht evacuated a Pathé movie theater in the city center late Monday afternoon after receiving a bomb threat. There were about 50 customers in the cinema when the order to evacuate was given. The site was opened back up to the public over two hours later. There were no arrests made.

Officers first responded to the cinema wearing bulletproof vests. Emergency services records show fire fighters were sent to assist the police just before 5:45 p.m. The theater was empty within about ten minutes, police said.

“The ground floor of a hotel in the area has also been evacuated,” police said in an update at 7:15 p.m. Officers also quickly closed the Maastunnel on Maasboulevard to traffic as a precaution when the investigation began. The road was reopened before 7:30 p.m.

No weapons were found by the specialized team had been working in the area trying to find any evidence of explosive devices. Eventually, police allowed civilians back into theater and surrounding area at about 8:15 p.m.

Police said they were still working to determine a motive for the threat, and to identify the person who issued the threat.

Earlier, authorities asked people on social media to carefully follow instructions given by emergency services workers. Initially, police would only say their response was due to a "report" they received, but they did not issue more details.