Commuters in London have been urged to "keep calm and carry on" after a hoax text message warning of an imminent terror attack on the Underground was spread on social media.
Chief Superintendent Paul Brogden of the British Transport Police also took to Twitter to confirm that there had been "no specific threat" made against the Tube network. He wrote that "social media contains lots of rumours regarding threats to tube network tomorrow" and confirmed that the "alert" was a hoax.
Social media contains lots of rumours regarding threats to tube network tomorrow. There is no specific threat so keep calm & carry on. 1/2 — Ch Supt Paul Brogden (@BTP_B_Division) August 31, 2014
Rumour control: The "alert" doing the rounds on social about all Met officers being called in for 4am tomorrow is a hoax. — Sgt Nathan Shickle (@MPSBatterseaSgt) August 31, 2014
The hoax began as a text message that soon found its way onto social media sites like Twitter. The warning, the origins of which are unclear, read: "They think there's a terror threat and that it will happen on the tubes tomorrow around the west end area. So don't go travelling on tubes!! It's better to be safe than sorry. Please share."
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It also claimed that "every single police officer in the met has been called into work from 4am onwards".
A Metropolitan police spokesman told the Daily Telegraph that the message was a "definite hoax", saying "these rumours are not uncommon. The only thing that gives them any credence is people re-tweeting them and circulating them."
The Prime Minister David Cameron said that in the near future the public could expect to see an increase in "high-profile police patrols" including more armed officers, particularly at airports and on public transport, the Telegraph reports.