Two men have been arrested in connection with a 'suspicious item' that sparked a major evacuation at Newcastle University on Friday afternoon. Northumbria Police has confirmed that the men, aged 21 and 43, were arrested on suspicion of 'communicating false information' but have since been released with no further action taken.
Buildings evacuated and cordon in place
Several teaching buildings at the Newcastle city centre campus were evacuated after the initial report of a suspicious item was made at 2.10pm. Students and staff were forced to leave buildings situated between St Thomas' Street and Kings Walk, while those on Queen Victoria Road, opposite the RVI, were also impacted. A large cordon remained in place for over two and a half hours.
Police officers, including a specialist dogs unit, were joined by the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service and the North East Ambulance Service at the scene. A university spokesperson confirmed that 'a small number' of campus buildings were evacuated while officers 'carried out enquiries'.
Arrests and police update
The King George VI building remained behind police tape later into Friday evening, with officers standing guard outside. It was later confirmed that this was to 'ensure public safety'. The Royal Victoria Infirmary itself was not evacuated, but public access to the Victoria Wing car park was unavailable while the incident was ongoing.
Students told ChronicleLive at the time: "We're just not allowed back in", with another adding: "We've literally just come back, and it's only the first week back of proper teaching. This is pretty scary", and a third saying: "We just live up the road and had no idea. No-one knows what's going on."
Emergency services response
A North East Ambulance Service spokesperson said: "We received a call for an incident in Newcastle City Centre at 16:19 on Friday 2 October. We dispatched one duty officer, one commander officer and three HART crews (Hazardous Area Response Team) but were stood down by police shortly after."
The two men arrested in connection with the incident have been released, with police confirming no further action will be taken.
