England's Lichfield Cathedral Forced to Close After Bomb Scare
The staff and tourists of the historic Lichfield Cathedral in Staffordshire, England were forced to evacuate the building after a suspicious package was found lying around the area on Monday.
The police closed off the cathedral and searched the building for more possible threats, according to the Express. They urged the people to "remain calm" after a suspicious-looking man carrying a bag was spotted entering the cathedral. The man then left the cathedral but without thebag.
"Just evacuated Lichfield Cathedral where I [was] working as someone went in with a package and came out without it," witness Kenny Wilding said.
Everybody was evacuated by lunch time, while tourists were prohibited from going near the area.
"Police are here now. They're continuing to search," the Very Reverend Adrian Dorber said amidst the police investigation. "They've asked the Close to be kept quiet.They're here in force basically for everyone's peace of mind."
Meanwhile, the Lichfield Police said they got "specialist officers" to survey the cathedral due to concerns about a man who was seen acting in a suspicious way.
"We remain at Lichfield Cathedral following the report of a suspicious incident this lunchtime," the police statement reads. "Specialist officers are currently undertaking a search of the Cathedral after a member of the public reported concerns about a man who she believed to be acting in a suspicious way at the site. All our measures remain precautionary at this time and we are not aware of any specific threat to the location."
The police wanted to make sure the place was secure after the Manchester terror attack, which claimed the lives of 22 individuals watching an Ariana Grande concert last week.
Thankfully, police were able to confirm after six hours that the cathedral was secure. The incident "has been resolved safely - nothing of note found and the public are thanked for their vigilance and support."
As for the church staff, they reported on Twitter (@LichfieldCath) that they will proceed with church activities privately, and will resume operations to the public as soon as they can.
