PRESS RELEASE

---

Thousands Evacuated from 17 Russian Cities After Simultaneous Bomb Threats Issued

Sept. 13, 2017 (EIRNS)—More than 20 shopping centers, railway stations, and universities had to be evacuated in Moscow, following warnings that they had been rigged with explosives. In total, 190 sites have been evacuated across 17 Russian cities after bomb threats, a security source told RIA news agency. According to TASS, 50,000 citizens in Moscow were cleared from train stations, shopping centers, and a university, in response to simultaneous anonymous phone calls today.

"Moscow’s emergency services had received a wave of bomb threat calls targeting mostly major shopping malls, including the GUM department store on Red Square. Also, students and teaching staff were evacuated from the Sechenov Medical University, MGIMO International Relations University, Russian State Social University, and the Russian Justice Ministry’s Law Academy. Three hotels—Kosmos, Zvezdnaya and Azimut Hotel Olympic Moscow— were evacuated as well,"

TASS reported.

Citing an unnamed emergency service official, the TASS report said that most searches in Moscow’s buildings targeted by bomb alerts turned up empty.

"At the moment, searches in most facilities have been completed or are drawing to an end. Nothing suspicious has been found at any facility,"

the official told TASS.