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POLICE

Alert called off at Copenhagen U.S. Embassy after object found to be harmless

A suspicious package found near the Embassy of the United States in Copenhagen on Wednesday proved to be harmless.

Alert called off at Copenhagen U.S. Embassy after object found to be harmless
Photo: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Scanpix Denmark

Police in the city have now removed a temporary cordon in the area of the Østerbro neighbourhood around the embassy premises, reports Ritzau.

Earlier on Wednesday, police were dispatched after receiving a report of what was described as a “suspicious situation” near the embassy.

Army bomb disposal technicians and the Fire Service were also called to the scene.


Photo: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Scanpix Denmark

After bomb disposal experts investigated the package that had given rise to the suspicion, police confirmed that it had not been found to constitute any danger.

Copenhagen Police head of communications Claus Buhr declined to confirmed the contents of the package, however.

Part of the Dag Hammarskjölds Allé thoroughfare, on which the embassy is located, was closed while investigation of the object was carried out.

The stretch of road that was closed covers a 400-metre distance between the Øster Farimagsgade and Kristianiagade adjoining streets.

Copenhagen Fire Service (Hovedstadens Beredskab) confirmed to Ritzau that it dispatched a fire engine to the scene.

An ambulance and first response doctor were also on standby at the location.

Following the incident, police said they had chosen to temporarily evacuate the nearby Institute Saint Joseph private school.

This information was subsequently corrected – although the school was not evacuated, staff and students were asked to stay inside and away from windows during investigation of the object.

READ ALSO: Norwegian, Danish schools receive simultaneous bomb threats

TRANSPORT

Copenhagen Metro lines reopen after two-week closure

Lines M3 and M4 of the Copenhagen Metro are back in service having reopened on Sunday, one day ahead of schedule.

Copenhagen Metro lines reopen after two-week closure

The two lines had been closed so that the Metro can run test operations before opening five new stations on the M4 line this summer.

The tests, which began on February 10th, are now done and the lines were running again as of Sunday evening, a day ahead of the original planned reopening on Monday February 26th.

“We are very pleased to be able to welcome our passengers on to our two lines M3 and M4,” head of operations with the Metro Søren Boysen said.

“The whole test procedure exceeded all expectations and went faster than expected and we can therefore get a head start on our reopening now,” he said.

Time set aside for potential repeat tests was not needed in the event, allowing the test closures to be completed ahead of time.

“Several of our many tests went better than expected and we have therefore not used all the time we needed for extra tests,” Boysen said.

The two lines serve around one million passengers every week, according to the Metro company.

READ ALSO: Copenhagen city government greenlights extension to Metro line

The new stops on the M4 line will be located south of central Copenhagen in the Valby and Sydhavn areas. The will have the names Haveholmen, Enghave Brygge, Sluseholmen, Mozarts Plads and København Syd (Copenhagen South).

The M3 and M4 lines, the newer sections of the Metro, opened in 2019 and 2020 respectively.

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