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Bomb threat forces evacuation of Apple's flagship Australian store

Image Credit: News Corp. Australia

Apple's flagship Australian store was briefly evacuated mid-day on Friday, in what appears to have been a response to a bomb threat, according to local media reports.

The three-floor Sydney outlet, located on George Street, was cleared out just prior to 1 p.m. local time "as a precaution" during a "police operation," a spokesperson for the police informed Business Insider. Photos from News.com.au, though, show a police dog joining officers in the building, and the site quotes one witness as saying that he "heard store employees talking about a bomb threat, not a drill."

During the incident, the area was cordoned off and traffic was diverted. Police left not much later, and shoppers formed a line to get back in.

Apple has periodically been subject to bomb threats, including not just its retail stores but even some of its offices and infrastructure.

In 2011, for instance, a threat led to the evacuation of the company's Elk Grove distribution center in California. Just last year a bogus threat was directed at Apple's Irish facilities, leading to the evacuation of some 4,800 people.

No real bombs have exploded in Apple buildings. The company has had to respond to outside incidents, however — the Turkish launch of the iPhone 6s was delayed because of a bombing in Ankara that killed 97 people.

11 Comments

lkrupp 20 Years · 10521 comments

It’s a tough life at the top of the tech food chain. Everybody’s gunning for you... literally it would appear.

wood1208 11 Years · 2944 comments

May be orchestrated by large Australian banks who are against Apple Pay!!

2 Likes · 0 Dislikes
haar 14 Years · 563 comments

A Samsung Phone was found...  unattended.

5 Likes · 0 Dislikes
hentaiboy 15 Years · 1252 comments

shoppers formed a line to get back in.

I heard some even camped out overnight

2 Likes · 0 Dislikes
mac-daddy 14 Years · 150 comments

haar said:
A Samsung Phone was found...  unattended.

You're really going to use something as serious as a bomb threat to make a joke? Seriously please grow the F up.

3 Likes · 0 Dislikes