Man, 33, are arrested for 'communicating false information' after 'suspicious item' hoax shuts down Newcastle University campus

From the Newshound archive · first published 2 October 2026 · last updated 3 October 2026.

A 33-year-old man remains in police custody after a reported 'suspicious item' triggered a mass evacuation of Newcastle University's city centre campus on Friday afternoon. Northumbria Police were called to King's Walk at 2.10pm, deploying sniffer dogs, firefighters, hazardous area response teams and ambulance crews. Streets including Queen Victoria Road, Brewery Lane, King's Road and St Thomas' Street were sealed off for several hours. The man was arrested on suspicion of communicating false information after searches were carried out and stood down.

The cordon, which also blocked the main entrance to the nearby Royal Victoria Infirmary, was largely lifted by around 4.45pm, though the King George VI building remained taped off into Friday evening.

A section of the cordon remained outside the university's Islamic Society, which occupies an annex in the King George VI building.

A student on campus at the time said a black suitcase outside a building was reported at 2.10pm, with 'loads of staff wearing fire warden armbands' blocking access before a wider evacuation began just after 3pm.