Suspicious suitcase on Syntagma Square found empty

Downtown Athens' Syntagma Square was briefly closed on Tuesday morning as police investigated a suspicious suitcase for a possible bomb.

The suitcase raised suspicions as it had been sitting unattended on the corner of Karageorgi Servias and Voulis streets for some time.

Police were alerted to its presence and called in a bomb disposal team which ascertained that the suitcase was empty after carrying out a controlled explosion.

The incident occurred around noon and caused brief traffic chaos at one of the city's main public squares, in front of Parliament.