Man charged after bomb hoax at Peter Kay show
Just now
Share
Save
Add as preferred on Google
BBC
A 19-year-old man has been charged over a bomb hoax that led to the evacuation of show by comedian Peter Kay in Birmingham.
Omar Majed, of Washwood Heath, Birmingham, has been charged with false communications and will appear before magistrates in the city on Monday, West Midlands Police said.
The Utilita Arena was evacuated and the comedian rushed off stage during the show on Friday night following a report of a suspicious bag being left in the area.
Police said: "Following searches, nothing suspicious was found."
"We are grateful to everyone for their co-operation and understanding," the police statement added.
"As always our priority is the safety of the public."
Kay was about 45 minutes into his set when it was cut short and the venue evacuated.
A spokesperson for the NEC Group said on Friday that ticket holders would be contacted with their next steps by the outlet they originally bought their tickets from.
Utilita Arena Birmingham shared an update on X on Saturday morning thanking attendees for their cooperation during the evacuation.
The venue further outlined details of security measures it has in place.
Follow BBC Birmingham on
BBC Sounds
,
Facebook
,
X
and
Instagram
.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the
BBC News App
. You can also follow
@BBCBreaking on X
to get the latest alerts.
Birmingham
Peter Kay