Mechelen (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A bomb threat at the Delhaize supermarket in Mechelen-Noord led to a police evacuation just before closing time. Police and bomb detection dogs conducted extensive searches, but no explosives were discovered. A suspect is in custody, though specifics are still unknown.
A bomb threat occurred last night at the Delhaize supermarket in Mechelen-Noord. Staff got a call about a bomb in the store on January 20, 2025, just half an hour before closing time. The staff contacted the Rivierenland Police Zone for help.
Police officers arrived quickly to handle the situation. They wanted to ensure everyone’s safety. At that moment, a few customers were still inside the store and did not know about the threat. To prevent panic, the police allowed the customers to finish their shopping before taking further action.
What happened during the bomb threat incident at the Delhaize supermarket in Mechelen-Noord?
After the last customers left the Delhaize supermarket, the police helped evacuate the store. Dirk Van de Sande from the Rivierenland Police praised how quickly and calmly the staff and officers acted during the incident. The police searched the supermarket to determine whether the bomb threat was real and whether there was an explosive device inside. Still, there are no updates about what they found, but the police will continue to investigate where the phone call came from.
“We arrived en masse,”
Says Dirk Van de Sande of Rivierenland Police Zone.
Customers were able to complete their purchases, and the supermarket was then evacuated.”
After the Delhaize supermarket in Mechelen-Noord was evacuated because of a bomb threat, a careful search was started to ensure the store was safe. The federal police brought in two bomb detection dogs to help with the investigation. These trained dogs searched the supermarket carefully, checking each aisle for any signs of explosives.
Despite their thorough efforts, they did not find anything suspicious. To make sure everything was checked, the authorities also did a manual search of the store, looking at every corner. This second inspection also found nothing, confirming that there was no bomb present in the store.
The police quickly started an investigation to find out where the bomb threat came from. They arrested a suspect during the night. The police have not revealed the suspect’s name or reasons for the threat. They want to keep the investigation clear.
Dirk Van de Sande from the Rivierenland Police Zone did not share more details about the suspect or how they were arrested. He mentioned that although the threat was a false alarm, the quick actions and teamwork of the staff, police, and federal teams helped keep everyone safe and showed a strong way to handle the situation.
