Nicolson Square: Diversions end after police and bomb squad called as Mosque finds suspicious package

Diversions have ended after police closed off Nicolson Square in Edinburgh

Diversions have ended after the police and the bomb squad were called to deal with a suspicious package in Edinburgh.

Officers descended on the area around Edinburgh Central Mosque on Tuesday morning after receiving reports of bags having been found in the building.

Nicolson Square was cordoned off, with police barriers also put in place. Officers were seen guarding the entrances to the square and the nearby West Nicolson Street was also closed.

Nicolson Square: Diversions end after police and bomb squad called to Mosque as suspicious package reported in Edinburgh

The mosque wrote on their Facebook page that they would “be closed today for the next few hours and until further notice. This is due to a couple of bags that we discovered inside the premises early this morning. The Police have been notified about the bags and following a review of CCTV they have advised that we evacuate the building and stop any activities until they have removed the bags.”

Lothian Buses confirmed that diversions were in place while the police operation was under way.

These diversions are now at an end, and the mosque has updated their social media, announcing that the building reopened at 6.30pm.

A statement from Police Scotland said: “Police were called to a report of a suspicious item found within a Mosque on Potterrow, Edinburgh, around 9.30am on Tuesday, January 3.

“A cordon was put in place as a precaution. The EOD attended and carried out a controlled explosion, however it has been established that the item posed no risk to the public and was innocent in nature.

“The cordon has now been lifted. Police would like to thank the public for their patience and understanding as officers attended the scene.”

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