Scottish Government HQ gets all-clear after bomb squad called

Building was evacuated "as a precautionary measure", superintendent says


Photo: Scottish Government

Bomb disposal experts have found a suspicious package that triggered an evacuation of the Scottish Government’s headquarters in Edinburgh was "innocent in nature".

Armed forces bomb disposal experts were called to St Andrew’s House on Wednesday afternoon and the building evacuated over the bomb scare.

Experts later confirmed the package was in fact “innocent in nature”, and staff were given the all-clear to return to work yesterday.


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Superintendent Mark Rennie said that after police were called, “As a precautionary measure, in accordance with procedures, staff were evacuated from the building and a cordon implemented.

"Following examination of the item by EOD it was confirmed that the item posed no threat to the public and was innocent in nature.”

Some 1,400 civil servants work in the building on Regent Road in the centre of Edinburgh, which hosts the offices of the first minister and the deputy first minister, the cabinet secretaries' private offices and the Scottish government's justice and health directorates.

A Police Scotland spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday that officers had attended “following the discovery of a suspicious package” and were being supported by the bomb disposal unit, known as EOD.

They said at the time that although the police were carrying out enquiries, there was “not thought to be any threat to the wider community”.

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