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'Real threat' forces evacuationPolice clear center of Britain's second-largest city
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YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSLONDON, England (CNN) -- Evacuation orders for the entertainment district of Britain's second-largest city were lifted Sunday morning after police conducted extensive searches of businesses in Birmingham's city center. A suspicious package found at a hotel was determined not to be a "credible device," West Midlands police said. The evacuation was lifted just after 6 a.m., police said, but authorities remained in the area as it returned to normal. "I'm afraid the sad reality is, if we look at what's been happening around the world in the last 12 months, it would be crass of me to suggest that, for some reason, the threats have gone away," West Midlands police chief constable Paul Scott-Lee told reporters after the incident. He described Saturday night's threat as "real and very credible," saying intelligence indicated it was genuine, The Associated Press reported. Scott-Lee wouldn't describe the nature of the threat. It was unclear if the threat was tied in any way to Thursday's deadly terrorist bombings in London. Assistant chief constable Stuart Hyde said there was no evidence linking the two, AP reported. Police initially said the package found at the hotel had "the characteristics" of an explosive device, describing it as a box with wires coming out of it and a switch on top. Authorities evacuated thousands of people from Birmingham's major entertainment district along Broad Street Saturday night after receiving intelligence on a threat aimed at the central part of the city, police said. The Travelodge was on that street. Police warned about 200 bars, restaurants and shops along the street just before 8 p.m. (3 p.m. ET) that there had been a threat, and ordered owners to search their properties and incoming customers, police spokeswoman Jackie Harrison said. After police received additional intelligence about 8:40 p.m., they ordered those establishments to close and evacuated the street, she said. People in surrounding areas also were advised to leave. Police later expanded the evacuations to Chinatown, near central Birmingham, Hyde said. The information on the hotel discovery came after Hyde told reporters police had carried out a controlled explosion on a bus on Corporation Street to destroy a suspicious bag. It turned out to be nothing dangerous, he said, giving no further details. The Birmingham reports came two days after four bombings in London killed more than 50 people and wounded more than 700 on three Underground trains and a double-decker bus. Before calling for the evacuation, Birmingham police banned vehicles from the central city. Birmingham, 100 miles (161 km) northwest of London, has a population of about 3 million including the outlying areas. Copyright 2005 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. 
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