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TERRORISM

Backpacks banned at Swiss concerts following Manchester attack

Swiss concert promoter Abc Productions has banned backpacks from all its concerts in Switzerland in response to the terror attack at the Manchester Arena concert venue two weeks ago.

Published: 5 June 2017 09:11 CEST
Backpacks banned at Swiss concerts following Manchester attack
Photo: belchonock/Depositphotos
Twenty-two people were killed and many more injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the end of an Ariana Grande concert in the northern UK city on May 22nd.
 
In a statement, Abc Productions said it is “aware of its great responsibility in safety matters.”
 
“As a consequence of the tragic events in the Manchester Arena as well as the constantly changing demands of touring safety and artist management, Abc Productions has decided to implement a rigorous backpack and bag ban on all shows.”
 
Only handbags smaller than A5 size (14.8cms x 21cms) will be allowed in concerts. 
 
The new rules will affect upcoming concerts including Justin Bieber on June 15th and Celine Dion on July 15th, both in the Stade de Suisse in Bern.  
 
Tributes laid in St Ann's Square, Manchester, for the victims of the attack at Manchester Arena. Photo: Oli Scarff/AFP
 
The Swiss president Doris Leuthard tweeted her support for Manchester after the attack two weeks ago, saying it was “appalling” that the target was people enjoying a night out at a concert. 
 
Her official spokesman took to Twitter once again over the weekend to post a further statement from Leuthard, this time about the attack in London on Saturday night. 
 
Leuthard said she was “shocked” by the attack. 
 
“My thoughts are with the victims of the attack and their families,” she said. 
 
At least seven people died and many more were injured when three men armed with blades drove a van into pedestrians before stabbing people in the London Bridge area of the British capital on Saturday night.
 
So far a Frenchman and a Canadian have been confirmed among the victims who died.

CRIME

Hoax bomb threats against French airports ‘traced to Swiss email’

Repeated bomb threats against dozens of French airports which led to evacuations and flight cancellations have been 'traced to an email address in Switzerland', according to French authorities.

Published: 23 October 2023 09:13 CEST
Hoax bomb threats against French airports 'traced to Swiss email'

More than 70 bomb threats have been made against French airports in the past week, leading to evacuations at dozens of airports and at least 130 flights cancelled.

Most of the alerts were triggered by emails warning of a bomb in the airport – more than 70 such emails have been received by airports around the country such as Toulouse, Bordeaux, Paris Beauvais, Marseille and dozens of smaller airports – including Basel-Mulhouse on the Franco-Swiss border. 

On Sunday French Transport Minister Clément Beaune said that “almost all of the threats have been traced to the same email address, situated in Switzerland”.

He added: “Since Wednesday, it is almost always the same email address that is used, located outside the European Union, in Switzerland”.

He called on hosting sites to help the French authorities, saying: “Everyone has a responsibility, including the platforms and social networks, not to support this kind of attack and to cooperate as quickly as possible with the French civil aviation authorities and our justice system.”

In France, the maximum penalty for making a hoax bomb threat is two years in jail and a €30,000 fine.

As well as airport evacuations and flight disruption, French tourist sites have also been hit with bomb hoaxes – the Palace of Versailles has been evacuated seven times in the past week.

It comes in the context of a tense situation in France as the country raised its terror alert to maximum after an apparent Islamist attack on Friday, October 13th in which a teacher was killed and two others wounded.

Security at large events such as the Rugby World Cup matches has been stepped up. 

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