Bomb alert at Moscow’s Bolshoi theater proved to be hoax

A bomb alert in Moscow’ Bolshoi has proved to be a hoax, the theater said.

"The theater is working as usual," TASS cited a spokesman of the theater as saying.

The emergency services said that the search revealed nothing suspicious.

Three specially trained police teams with sniffer dogs were searching Bolshoi’s building after more than 3,500 people had been evacuated due to a bomb scare.

At 19.00 Moscow time (16.00 GMT) the Hammer and Sickle concert, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, was to have begun in the Bolshoi’s Beethoven Hall.

Apart from this, a bomb alert was proved to be a hoax at the GUM department store in Red Square. "At least 2,500 customers and 30 staff had been evacuated from the department store which later resumed work," a source said.