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Police confirm Chetumal mall bomb threat prank call

Chetumal, Q.R. — Police in Chetumal have determined an early afternoon bomb threat inside a shopping plaza to be a false alarm. A 9-1-1 call placed at around 1:00 p.m. Sunday detailed an explosive device inside the city’s Plaza Las Americas shopping mall that was set to detonate.

Municipal emergency serivces, including National Guard, quickly arrived to evacuate the entire building of staff and shoppers. Police began a search of the building using K9 dogs, which, according to an update by the Secretaría de Seguridad Ciudadana (SSC), came up empty handed.

In a statement, the SSC (Secretariat of Citizen Security) of Quintana Roo reported the threat as a false alarm after searching the mall. According to authorities, someone reported the bomb threat via 9-1-1 then hung up without providing details. Police are referring to the Sunday call as a prank.

“The Secretariat of Citizen Security urges citizens to make responsible use of emergency lines. As a result of an alert of an explosive device in Plaza Las Américas, in the city of Chetumal, action and evacuation protocols were activated.

“Elements of the SSC, in coordination with various authorities, attended to this report that was made by a person to 911, who reported the alleged bomb threat and, without giving further details, hung up.

“The evacuation of the place has been carried out. Monitoring is maintained and, for now, everything is in order, so everything indicates that it was a prank call. Citizens are urged to stay informed by official sources and to make responsible use of the emergency lines.”