British Museum Evacuated After Suspicious Device Found in Restroom
The British Museum in Bloomsbury was briefly evacuated on Saturday after staff found a “suspicious device” in a restroom, prompting a Metropolitan Police response around 2:50 p.m. local time. Police later determined the object posed no threat, and visitors were allowed back in shortly after 4 p.m., with no injuries reported; the museum also said it had received “malicious communications” before the evacuation. The incident occurred less than a week after the museum postponed a Jewish Culture Month lecture on ancient Israel due to security concerns about planned disruption, a decision criticized by figures including Simon Schama, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, and former U.K. health secretary Wes Streeting. The museum, which welcomed more than six million visitors last year, said there was no indicated link between the postponed lecture and the evacuation.
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This story was covered in Biennial Fault Lines and Museum Security Scares