A private event at Le Dôme in Charleroi was interrupted on Saturday evening following a bomb scare that turned out to be a hoax, officials confirmed.
The evacuation took place after an anonymous caller reported the presence of a suspicious package in the building. Attendees at the private gathering were forced to leave while police, emergency services, and the Defence Ministry’s bomb disposal unit responded.
The festivities were ultimately cancelled, and those present were sent home, according to the Charleroi prosecutor’s office. Investigators traced the phone number used for the false alert. A subsequent search of the registered owner’s home revealed that the person was a victim of identity theft.
According to authorities, the phone number had been compromised through “spoofing,” an electronic identity theft technique. The phone’s owner had no involvement in the hoax call.
