Man charged over Peter Kay bomb hoax

19-year-old in court tomorrow

A man has been charged following the bomb scare that evacuated Peter Kay’s Birmingham gig on Friday night.

Omar Majed, of Washwood Heath, Birmingham will appear before the city’s magistrates court on Monday.

The 19-year-old is charged with false communications relating to the explosives hoax which caused the gig to be cancelled about 45 minutes in.

No suspicious items were ultimately found .

The comedian was bundled off stage 45 minutes into his Better Late Than Never tour show at Utilita Arena and the audience of up to 15,800 fans asked to leave.

Birmingham Police said: 'We're grateful to everyone for their co-operation and understanding. As always our priority is the safety of the public.'

Originally the force said a 'potential suspicious bag' was found at the arena, which prompted the evacuation.

A Peter Kay show in Birmingham has been stopped after West Midlands Police say a 'potential suspicious bag' was found at the Utilita Arena.

A 19-year-old man has been arrested, and the area is being searched as a precaution.

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A video shared on social media showed the moment an announcer went on stage and asked people to leave.

He said: 'Ladies and gentlemen, due to unforeseen circumstances, we are going to have to stop the show. So, we're going to put the house lights up and can you please follow the instructions given to you from the house staff, stewards and security. Thank you.'

Members of the audience can then be heard saying: 'What? Is this a joke?'

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Many punters took to social media to applaud the response. One said: 'I couldn't praise [police and venue staff] enough for how efficient[ly] they got me and 11,000 people out and away from that building within a matter of minutes.'

Another posted: 'The staff were brilliant. As were the punters. All left in a calm and orderly manner. It was eerily quiet as we were leaving.'

The venue issued a statement confirming the discovery of a ‘potential suspicious bag’ nearby, adding: ‘The safety and security of our customers and colleagues is our highest priority. We can confirm everyone was safely evacuated and that the venue is secure.’

Saturday night's Peter Kay gig went ahead as planned.

In a statement the venue said: 'Following an extensive search by West Midlands Police, no items of a suspicious nature were found, and the building was determined to be safe. West Midlands Police are satisfied with the security measures in place.

'We would like to thank the attendees of yesterday's Peter Kay event for their cooperation, which ensured a swift and safe evacuation.'

Some fans had commented that bag searches appeared cursory. In apparent response to those claims, the statement added: 'At Utilita Arena Birmingham, the safety and security of our customers and colleagues is always our first priority.

'Our security measures include several overt and covert security measures, so whilst you may not see all operational security activity, you should be assured that it is ongoing. Our Evolv security system uses advanced sensors and Al technology to screen everyone and their bags as they enter the arena, helping security teams identify potential threats quickly and accurately, supported by additional bag searches as required.'

Evolve is a hi-tech walk-through scanner that aims to replace traditional metal detectors, coping with much larger number of people.

The scare came a day after the UK national threat level was raised from substantial, meaning an attack is likely, to severe, meaning an attack is highly likely. The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre said the increase in threat comes following the stabbing in Golders Green in North London, but it is not solely a result of that attack.

Images from the scene show several police cars in the area and officers patrolling the perimeter.

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