A man who had caused the evacuation of the Christmas market in Nice (South of France) on Saturday has admitted to making a poor taste joke and will be brought before justice in 2020, a representative of the city’s prosecution informed AFP on Sunday.
While leaving the Christmas market on Saturday the man is understood to have whispered to security that he was going to buy a “bombe” (which can also be the French word for horse rider’s helmet) as a poor taste joke.
As a result, the officer applied security recommendations, which led to the evacuation of 3,500 people from the site, Belga reports.
The man, who was released after his detention, has acknowledged that it was a bad joke. For this false bomb threat, he will be presented to justice, on the basis of prior admission of guilt at first appearance in the first half of 2020, the prosecutor of Nice said.
The joker, who is known for this type of bad jokes according to his wife, was quickly identified, thanks to the city video surveillance system, and arrested a few minutes after leaving the Christmas market, while on his way to a nearby department store on Massena Square.
The Christmas market in Nice, which is accessible only through security gates, was combed by mine clearance teams before reopening around 5:00 PM, two hours after its evacuation.
The Brussels Times
