Warsaw underground shut down after bomb threat

Warsaw's underground railway was shut down yesterday after a bomb threat, but police later declared it a hoax and trains resumed operation.

Belgian police said they had evacuated a Brussels railway station and searched a train in the port city of Antwerp in a sign of continuing nervousness in Europe following bomb attacks on public transport in London last Thursday.

Poland heightened security at train and bus stations, airports and Warsaw's metro after the London attacks that killed at least 52 people. Yesterday saw a threat of a bomb on the metro.

"This was a false alarm. The bomb squads have found no explosives and the traffic has been resumed," a spokesman for police headquarters said.

Warsaw's underground has only one line, linking the city's northern and southern suburbs.

Alongside Britain, Poland is part of a US coalition in Iraq, where it has about 1,700 soldiers.

Denmark and Italy, also working with British and US troops in Iraq, have both evacuated underground stations or public buildings in recent days due to threats.

A Belgian police spokesman said there had been a bomb alert at Brussels Midi station and platforms had been cleared. A train was being swept for explosives at Antwerp Central station, he said, but gave no details.