Skyscraper housing Australia, UK embassies in Madrid evacuated after bomb threat

A skyscraper housing embassy in Madrid was evacuated on Tuesday after a bomb threat was received by telephone at the Australian embassy there, a police spokesperson said.

The 57-storey, 235-metre (770-ft) high Torre Espacio, one of four towers located in the Spanish capital’s financial district, also houses the embassies of Britain and Canada.

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A British embassy spokesperson said its staff had been evacuated around midday (1000 GMT) and were safely outside the building.

The Australian embassy said on Twitter: “The @AusEmbEsp will remain closed for the rest of today, Tuesday, April 16, until further notice. Apologies for any inconvenience.”

Television footage showed a police cordon and fire trucks outside the building.

“The usual emergency protocol was activated immediately,” the police spokesperson said.

(Reuters/NAN)