Police are investigating a “threatening email” that forced the evacuation of Auckland Art Gallery this morning.
Officers said they received a report of “a threatening email sent to a premises on Kitchener St, central Auckland” about 10.15am.
“The building self-evacuated as a precaution,” police said. “Police attended and the address was cleared.
“Inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the email are ongoing.”
A witness who was at the gallery at the time said people were evacuated from the building, with some waiting at Albert Park while staff were further down Kitchener St.
They were allowed to return to the gallery about 10.45am.
Dr Zara Stanhope, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited director of Auckland Art Gallery, told the Herald the gallery “received a hoax threat this morning”.
“As a precaution, the gallery was evacuated while emergency services cleared the building. The gallery has now reopened and is operating as normal.”
It comes after two bomb threats in Auckland this week in educational facilities.
Staff and students at Kiwi College in Albany self-evacuated outside after an employee received an email with a bomb threat on Tuesday morning, with police attending and clearing the address.
The University of Auckland was also subject to a bomb scare on Wednesday, according to Stuff, with police determining the threat was not credible.