[noemon]

LIVE: Cambridge city centre cordoned off by police after reports of suspicious package
Police have cordoned off Kings Parade in Cambridge city centre and it is believed shops and businesses have been evacuated

Cambridge city centre has been cordoned off by police this evening (Monday, June 5) after reports of a suspicious package.

The incident is believed to have taken place just after 7.30pm, with police cordoning off the area near the Cambridge Chop House.

Witnesses say shops and businesses along King's Parade have been evacuated, including diners at the Cambridge Chop House, due to the incident.

Nearby student accommodation has also reportedly been evacuated as a precaution, with a heavy police presence at the scene.

It is not yet known how many people have been evacuated due to the suspicious package incident, but King's Parade is expected to be closed off for some time.

Cambridgeshire police has been contacted for comment on the incident but say they are unavailable to provide a comment until tomorrow.

We'll have live updates in the blog below.

Cambridge News

[noemon]

[ThirdTerm]

I think it's not the style of today's Islamists to leave a suspicious package or bomb in a city centre. That's what the IRA used to do until the 1990s and IS supporters are very keen on martyrdom. British authorities need to keep up with the Islamist State to ensure public safety.

[noir]

I think it's not the style of today's Islamists to leave a suspicious package or bomb in a city centre. That's what the IRA used to do until the 1990s and IS supporters are very keen on martyrdom. British authorities need to keep up with the Islamist State to ensure public safety.

Indeed. They just want their 72 virgins

[Frollein]

Getting a bit jittery, England? Have a cuppa.

[AFAIK]

This isn't newsworthy. Every time I go to London there's a 'suspicious package' on the tube or in a high street.

[Prosthetic Conscience]

Abandoned briefcase containing some books - http://www.tcs.cam.ac.uk/news/0037386-k ... olice.html . People are going to have to get back into the habit of not just leaving shit around the place.

[stephen50right]

Getting a bit jittery, England? Have a cuppa.

Muslim terrorists could be anywhere, and innocent British people are afraid of being murdered by them...and you call that "a bit jittery."

[mikema63]

Yeah frollein, you dirty Muslim lover, how dare you mock perfectly legitimate English fears over innocuous bags of books and dirty gym clothes?

[Frollein]

Muslim terrorists could be anywhere, and innocent British people are afraid of being murdered by them...and you call that "a bit jittery."

I'll stop mocking them as soon as they've found their testicles.

[skinster]

^ says a non-testicle(s)-owning person, weirdly.

[Frollein]

Having problems with figures of speech, skinster? Let me rephrase for you: as soon as the change their modus from flight to fight.

[skinster]

Anyone can fight on the internet, Frollein. Just like what you're doing.

[stephen50right]

I'll stop mocking them as soon as they've found their testicles.

The British have plenty of "testicles" - they comprise some of the greatest people on this planet.

The British fought the Nazis in WW2 with remarkable bravery, and they've displayed bravery numerous other times throughout history. However this situation is different. Now a potential mass murderer could be the man or woman standing next to them at the restaurant, movie theatre, shopping mall, or anywhere...and that would make anyone jittery.

[Frollein]

Different generation, stephen. Todays's hipsters aren't capable to bring the war to the community that shelters the terrorists. Because that wouldn't be politically correct. The pc way is to let your loved ones be ripped apart by the true believers and then declare that you "stand united," are "not afraid" and "won't let them destroy our Western values and our way of life."

And wait for the next bomb.

What's to respect? And I'm not just talking of the Brits. My compatriots aren't any better.

[Hong Wu]

Few people have pointed out, I think, that violence like this happens regularly in "inner city" areas of the developed world and receives no coverage.

One conclusion we can draw from this behavior is that every major landmark city in western Europe will eventually obtain the same treatment. The "terrorism" we are seeing is in many ways just a normal behavior of "less developed" people and once they have driven all of the "developed" people out of every historic gathering point in London, Paris, Cambridge, Berlin etc. and the tourism has died off, we might stop hearing about these attacks.

Case in point, "terrorist" attacks that involve only one victim are usually not reported because they are classified like any other assault.

[Prosthetic Conscience]

Few people have pointed out, I think, that violence like this happens regularly in "inner city" areas of the developed world and receives no coverage.

One conclusion we can draw from this behavior is that every major landmark city in western Europe will eventually obtain the same treatment. The "terrorism" we are seeing is in many ways just a normal behavior of "less developed" people and once they have driven all of the "developed" people out of every historic gathering point in London, Paris, Cambridge, Berlin etc. and the tourism has died off, we might stop hearing about these attacks.

Case in point, "terrorist" attacks that involve only one victim are usually not reported because they are classified like any other assault.

"Violence like this"? There was no violence. Someone left a briefcase in the street by a bin. Because no one knew what it was, the police blew it up. It had books in. Cambridge is more up-market than London with its carefully-guarded pints, however:

Diners at the Cambridge Chop House were also evacuated to a safe distance. One customer told Varsity that “a police man came down and demanded that everybody got out the restaurant, so I grabbed my crème brûlée and ran”.
...
Gonville & Caius College, who were active on Twitter throughout the incident, also tweeted to congratulate their “students, staff, and Fellows” for their “calm and good humour throughout”.

The College was also eager to reassure its followers that “we remained calm during lockdown and did not break into the wine cellar”.

https://www.varsity.co.uk/news/13170

[Frollein]

Anyone can fight on the internet, Frollein. Just like what you're doing.

I'm sure you can quote my posts where I'm bragging what I would do if I happened upon a bomb wielding terrorist. Go find them, I'll wait.

[Decky]

It is nothing compared to the Blitz, we have faced worse right wing fanatics before this and came out on top. Sadly we can't just fortify our island and wait for the Soviets to come to save us this time, something will need to be done.

[Hong Wu]

"Violence like this"? There was no violence. Someone left a briefcase in the street by a bin. Because no one knew what it was, the police blew it up. It had books in. Cambridge is more up-market than London with its carefully-guarded pints, however:

My bad but you know what I mean and whether this specific act was violence, a threat or a misunderstanding doesn't effect my underlying argument.