Suspected explosive prompts evacuation of Jyväskylä daycare and shop

A suspected explosive device led to the evacuation of a daycare and a nearby grocery store in Jyväskylä on Friday morning, but police found the object was not an explosive, Yle reported.

Police were called to Kortesuo daycare in the Kortepohja district at 8.25 a.m. after staff reported an object on its terrace. They thought it could be a homemade explosive because it had wires coming from it.

The daycare and the adjacent Sale grocery store were emptied as a precaution. The situation was over by 9.40 a.m. The store reopened, and the children were moved to the nearby Kortepohja daycare-school before returning to their daycare after lunch.

Police have filed a crime report and are investigating. A police official said recent news reports about bomb threats at schools in Europe may have influenced how staff interpreted the object. She said there had been no bomb threat incidents in Jyväskylä, but praised the staff for contacting police.

The city said guardians were kept informed and that staff followed the safety plans they regularly practise.