Canary Wharf Security Alert Ends after Controlled Explosion

A security alert yesterday at London’s Canary Wharf financial district ended after police carried out a controlled explosion on a package that was found near the headquarters of Barclays Bank.

Canary Wharf Group, which runs the property estate, said the incident, during which police cordoned off the area, was over. A London police spokesman told Reuters the incident was non-suspicious.

A bag considered suspect was spotted outside the Barclays building on Thursday morning, Canary Wharf Group said earlier.

Police diverted traffic and workers arriving at their offices. Sniffer dogs were called to the site, according to a Reuters correspondent at the scene.

Pictures from onlookers published on Twitter showed that police deployed a robot to deal with the package.

(Reporting by Reuters staff; Editing by Alexander Smith, John Stonestreet)