Armed officers evacuated a London Underground train during Wednesday morning's rush hour after reports that a passenger was carrying a firearm. British Transport Police (BTP) halted the service and conducted a full search of the train.
Passengers Removed and Train Searched
Commuters were removed from the Central Line service while officers examined the train and looked for the man described in the initial alert. No weapon was found, and no individual matching the report was identified, according to the Express.
One commuter shared on social media: "My central line train @TfL has just been evacuated with all these armed police looking for someone with a weapon.... Great."
Armed Officers Intercept at Stratford
The exact location along the route, which stretches from West London to East London, remains unclear, though armed officers intercepted the train at Stratford station. Another passenger posted on X: "Armed police patrolling the platforms at Stratford station."
Further enquiries are now underway into the original report made to BTP, with the investigation still ongoing. A BTP spokesperson confirmed: "We received a report of a man with a firearm on board a Central Line train at 7.44am today (12 August). The train was met by armed officers at Stratford station where it was evacuated and searched. No firearms were found, nor anyone matching the description. Enquiries into the report are ongoing."
Minor Delays on Central Line
Transport for London (TfL) also confirmed that the incident resulted in minor delays to eastbound Central Line services. It stated in a website update: "Minor delays eastbound between North Acton and Leytonstone due to an earlier police investigation and minor delays North Acton to Ealing Broadway / West Ruislip and Leytonstone to Epping / Hainault due to train cancellations. Good service on the rest of the line."
