Bomb hoax in Sharjah building

Sharjah - The police evacuated the areas around the targeted Imran tower office building in which Mashreque bank was located.

Panic gripped the residents of Al Qasimi following a bomb scare at the Mashreq building in King Abdul Aziz Road (Immigration street) late evening on Thursday.
The police evacuated the area around the Imran tower office building where Mashreq bank is located.
Police told Khaleej Times that an anonymous person called the emergency number at 10:00 pm, warning that a bomb case had been placed at the entrance of the building.
Several teams from the police department, including explosion, patrols, CID, ambulance, civil defense, and fire fighters, arrived at the site and thoroughly combed the building for explosive devices. The Sharjah Police then declared the threat as a hoax.
The nearby residential tower was evacuated and the roads leading to it were cordoned off. Officials combed the building and the area for two hours for "mysterious objects", but found none, following which the call was declared as a hoax.
Jack Lumeer, a resident of the tower, said he was having dinner and heard the siren of the police cars and ambulance. When he went out he saw several policemen surrounding the area.
"I panicked. I decided to go out for safety. We were not told why we were being evacuated. It was only later that we came to know that it was a bomb scare." 
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com

• Sharjah