Denmark police arrest man suspected of hoax bomb threats causing evacuation of airports

Danish police arrested a man suspected of making a spate of bomb hoaxes that forced the evacuation of two provincial airports and two shopping centres on Monday (17 October).

The suspect was taken and held in Slagelse, a town about 100km (60 miles) west of Copenhagen, police said in a statement. "The man is suspected of sending a number of threats to Danish airports, shopping centres and hospitals," it said.

There was no further information as to how the man sent the hoaxes. The suspect has not yet been named and a motive has not been suggested. However, the 28-year-old man is already known to the police, and is reported to have mental health problems according to Sydsvenskan.

Two shopping centres in the Danish towns of Roskilde and Slagelse were evacuated following a bomb scare, although police reported no immediate signs of an explosion. Anton Bestle, an eyewitness who was evacuated from a shopping mall in central Roskilde told Reuters: "It wasn't chaotic or hectic, but there was this feeling of apprehension".

Police received two phone messages threatening explosions and as a precaution closed Copenhagen Airport and Roskilde Airport, about 35km (22 miles) from the capital. According to Danmarks Radio, all air traffic to and from the latter airport was stopped, while Copenhagen Airport was evacuated.

"There have been a number of bomb threats in a short period over the whole country," Danish police said on Twitter. The Copenhagen Business School was briefly evacuated but allowed students back after checks, according to the newspaper Ekstra Bladet. There were no reported injuries at any of the evacuated locations.