Eurostar bomb scare as tourist tries to get war relic onto train

A EUROSTAR passenger reportedly sparked a bomb scare at a French station yesterday after trying to board the train with a “military relic”.

The cross-border operator said Gare du Nord in Paris was evacuated after a “suspect package” was discovered on Saturday afternoon.

Witnesses reported scenes of confusion at the transport hub, with several saying on social media that they heard a controlled explosion.

Martin Adams, a businessman, was on his way to get the 4.13pm service to London when police cordoned off half of the station.

The 31-year-old, who had been returning from a weekend in the French capital with friends, said: “The police told us that there would be a controlled explosion, and about 10 minutes later there was. Nobody panicked and everybody just got about lining up for their trains.

“A lot of people missed the 4.13pm as a result but Eurostar placed people on later trains.”

He added: “My wife heard someone say in the security line that it was a tourist trying to bring a part of an old Second World War bomb back through customs.

“This wasn’t confirmed to us by Eurostar or security, who just referred to ‘security issues’ when announcing delays.”

Writing on Twitter after the incident, the high-speed service provider reassured passengers that services had not been cancelled but “interrupted until further notice”.

“Check-in was interrupted due to the presence of a suspect package which caused the evacuation. We’re sorry for the inconvenience,” Eurostar added.