Bomb threat forces evacuation of Apple's flagship Australian store

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.