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Bomb threat causes panic at justice palace east of Beirut

Arab World Materials 15 December 2010 16:42 (UTC +04:00)

Lebanese police cordoned off the Justice Palace in Baada, east of Beirut, Wednesday and began a search for a bomb allegedly hidden inside the building, a police officer at the scene said, DPA reported.

"Our experts conducted the search, but we found no bomb," the officer said.

"We have evacuated the whole premises after an anonymous caller said a bomb was planted inside the palace," he added.

The evacuation caused panic among people and judicial officials who were inside the building, he said.

The incident came as Lebanon tensely awaits a move by the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), which is probing the 2005 assassination of former premier Rafik Hariri, to issue its indictments in the case.

The indictments are widely expected to accuse some Hezbollah members in the assassination, a charge the Lebanese Shiite movement has totally rejected, coupled with a warning that it "will cut off the hand" of anyone who names any member of the group.

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