Russian police evacuated venues throughout the World Cup host city of Rostov-on-Don late Tuesday after they received multiple bomb threats, according to a report from Reuters.
“On June 26, police received a series of phone calls about explosives planted at locations in Rostov-on-Don,” local police said in a statement.
Police cleared out 16 local bars and restaurants in the area, and found no traces of explosives. “Police forces made all the necessary checks and no dangerous objects were found,” the statement said. “Currently, all the venues are operating normally.”
One Italian restaurant was evacuated after the business received an anonymous call. “There was a phone call, an anonymous phone call, they said there was a bomb in the building,” the manager of Luciano Italian told media.
Ahead of the World Cup, many expressed concern over the safety of hosting the games in Russia. Rostov-on-Don is situated near Russia’s border with Ukraine, where conflict still continues between Russian rebels and Ukrainian military forces since 2014.
The Topos Congress-Hotel, listed as an official FIFA World Cup hotel, and its 200-plus guests were also evacuated. On Tuesday, the city hosted the World Cup game between Croatia and Iceland at the Rostov Arena, which is located just three miles from the hotel. The next match in the city takes place on Monday.
