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Suspect package shuts city centre Package incident 'malicious hoax'
(about 3 hours later)
An area of Birmingham city centre has been cordoned off after reports of a suspicious package being put through the postbox of the Refugee Council. Police are investigating whether a suspicious package put in a post box of the Refugee Council in Birmingham was a racially-motivated "malicious hoax".
The building in Lionel Street has been evacuated along with several others nearby and some train services at Snow Hill station have been suspended. A package found in the Lionel Street office was not harmful, West Midlands Police said, and a cordoned off area was later reopened.
As a precaution police said they had closed Lionel Street, Constitution Hill and Livery Street. It said it was keeping an open mind in terms of motive, "but cannot rule out that it was racially motivated".
The army bomb disposal unit have been sent to the scene. Some train services at Snow Hill station were suspended.
'Precautionary measure' Lionel Street, Constitution Hill and Livery Street were closed while the package was investigated.
West Midlands Police were contacted at 1015 BST and were at the scene within five minutes, a spokesman said. Trains delayed
About 300 people have been told to leave the affected buildings, Supt Sue Southern said. The army bomb disposal unit was sent to the scene.
British Transport Police have closed the track between Snow Hill and the Jewellery Quarter train stations, affecting Chiltern Railways and London Midland services. Police were contacted at 1015 BST and were at the scene within five minutes, a spokesman said.
National Rail said that because of this there are no trains running between The Hawthorns and Birmingham Moor Street. Trains in the area are being delayed by up to 50 minutes. About 300 people were told to leave the affected buildings.
Passengers are advised to check before travelling and some tickets will now be valid with other operators, a spokesman said. British Transport Police closed the track between the Snow Hill and Jewellery Quarter stations, affecting Chiltern Railways and London Midland services.
British Waterways has also closed off a stretch of canal that runs through the area, police said. National Rail said earlier that because of this there were no trains running between The Hawthorns and Birmingham Moor Street.
Supt Southern said: "The road closures and evacuations are a precautionary measure that we need to undertake until we have established what the package contains." Trains in the area were being delayed by up to 50 minutes, but the track reopened in the afternoon.
Police are working with the city council, fire and ambulance crews as well as police-trained volunteers, she added. Police thanked people for "their patience and understanding".
The Refugee Council champions the rights of asylum seekers and refugees in the UK.