A 40-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly making an online threat targeting a performance by French rapper Lomepal
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Suspect released over alleged arena terror threat
A concert by French rapper Lomepal at Switzerland's Geneva Arena was cancelled shortly before it was due to take place last month
By James Hanley on 07 Mar 2023
Geneva Arena
image © Sissssou
A 40-year-old man arrested following an alleged online terror threat targeting a concert in Switzerland has been released from custody.
French rapper Lomepal was set to headline the 9,500-cap Geneva Arena on 25 February, but the venue was evacuated and the show cancelled after a threat was allegedly made on a social network. Emergency services including police, bomb disposal experts and firefighters were deployed to the scene along with sniffer dogs.
Swissinfo reports that the suspect – who was accused of making “threats alarming the population” – was released after questioning, with prosecutors saying he did not pose a terror threat. However, he may still face social disorder charges.
The Lomepal concert has now been rescheduled for Friday 7 April
The Lomepal concert, promoted by Soldout Productions, has now been rescheduled for Friday 7 April, with all tickets purchased for the cancelled concerts remaining valid.
“We share the disappointment of everyone present at the arena that evening and would like to apologise for the waiting time and uncertainty that preceded the announcement of the cancellation,” says a statement by Geneva Arena.
“We would have liked to be able to communicate earlier on this situation, but the police operation being in progress, no information could be given to the public during the evening, at the request of the authorities.”
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