Bomb scare sets off security alerts at Barcelona, Madrid train stations

Authorities in Barcelona on Wednesday said the city’s central Sants station had reopened after an explosives search was conducted on two trains.

Catalonia’s regional police, the Mossos d’Esquadra, said the security operation had been sparked by the discovery of a possible explosive device in a suitcase. Security staff detected the object during a routine luggage scanning procedure for boarding high-speed Spanish trains, at about 8 a.m. local time.

DW reports that the station was closed while the searches were carried out, in accordance with standard security protocols. “It has been established that there is no danger in relation to this morning’s sighting of a suspicious object at Sants station,” the Mossos said.

In Madrid, the Spanish state-owned rail firm RENFE said it evacuated the city’s main train station, Atocha, later saying the bomb scare was a false alarm.

“Our agents have carried out the relevant checks in Atocha station in Madrid and it is a false alarm. The police operation has been stood down. Everything is returning to normal,” Spain’s National Police said via Twitter.