Prague police evacuate Lucerna Palace and Smíchov station due to bomb threat

Police evacuated the entire Lucerna Palace building on Wenceslas Square and the Prague-Smíchov railway station on Thursday evening following a bomb threat.

A total of 3,000 people were forced to leave both locations as police pyrotechnicians conducted searches. No explosive devices were found, and authorities are now working to identify the individual responsible for the threat, police announced on the social media platform X.

“Pyrotechnic inspections were carried out at both locations with negative results. Over 3,000 people were evacuated, and we will now search for the unknown person who made the threats,” police stated. Prague police spokesman Richard Hrdina confirmed to ČTK that approximately 2,000 people had to leave Lucerna.

The bomb threat at Lucerna was reported shortly after 8 p.m., disrupting a sold-out concert by singer Kateřina Marie Tichá, a graduation ball, and the One World film festival. Hundreds of people gathered outside the venue around 9 p.m., some unable to retrieve their belongings from the cloakroom.

Police informed them that access would only be granted after a pyrotechnic inspection, either later in the night or on Friday morning.

The management of Lucerna Music Bar has since posted on social media that attendees of the disrupted concert will be able to pick up their belongings from the cloakroom on Friday, March 21, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Tram service between Lazarská and Jindřišská was temporarily suspended due to the evacuation, with routes diverted, according to Ropid, the company managing Prague’s public transport. Service resumed around 9 p.m.

The Smíchov railway station was also evacuated following a separate bomb report. “Trains are only passing through the station due to the closure and evacuation of the railway station,” said Martin Kavka, spokesman for the railway administration’s fire department, at around 9:15 p.m. He later confirmed that full operations resumed at 10:05 p.m.

Police continue to investigate the source of the threats.