The ‘suspicious package’ which caused Charing Cross station to be evacuated was a fake bomb planted in a gay nightclub, it has been revealed.
Some of the stars of Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK were rehearsing at Heaven nightclub for an upcoming show when police stormed in to investigate after an anonymous tip-off claimed a bomb had been planted inside the gay venue.
The scare resulted in Villiers Street being cordoned off, Charing Cross station being evacuated, and widespread disruption to train and underground services through Embankment, Charing Cross and Waterloo East.
The bomb turned out to be a hoax, but it left those inside the venue in shock.
The Met Police said the circumstances suggest the incident could be ‘an intentional hoax’ and an investigation is underway to determine whether there was a homophobic motive behind the fake bomb.
Drag queens The Vivienne, Tia Kofi and Veronica Green were some of the big names involved.
A source at the venue told The Sun : “The drag queens had been rehearsing for their upcoming show Drag Queens of Pop and had been posting on social media that they were at Heaven.
“The door was later found to be open and it seemed like someone had got in during the rehearsals. It seemed like a targeted attack because, due to Covid restrictions, the place is usually empty.
“But it appeared someone knew they were there and planted the hoax package.”
Jeremy Joseph, who runs the club, took to Instagram to share how frightening the incident was and branded the person behind it a ‘sick individual’.
Jeremy wrote: “That was the most dramatic rehearsal ever.
“There had been a bomb threat and everyone was evacuated, except poor me, as we waited for police dogs to arrive, as the venue has been in lockdown apart from rehearsals.
“I had to walk round with the police & sniffer dogs to check the venue.
“I’m not going to lie, it was frightening, but I cant praise the police dog team enough, they were amazing, they have to enter a building not knowing if it is real or a hoax.
“Whoever made that call is nothing but a sick individual, but police took every precaution before re-opening the streets & I cant thank them enough.”
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A Met police spokesman said: “The circumstances in which the item was found suggest that it was part of an intentional hoax and an investigation is under way to identify the person or persons responsible.
“There is no indication, at this early stage, of a particular motive but that will form one of the key lines of enquiry for officers as their investigation continues”.
Anyone with information about this incident, who has not already spoken to the police, should call 101 providing the reference CAD3901/03MAY.
Information can also be provided to Crimestoppers, anonymously, by calling 0800 555 111.
