Dublin airport evacuated due to bomb scare

DUBLIN, July 4 (Reuters) Dublin airport was today evacuated after a man walked into the arrivals hall saying he had a bomb.

An army bomb disposal unit was sent to the airport, north of the Irish capital, and traffic diverted away from the area.

Police gave the all-clear for staff and passengers to return about two hours after the evacuation.

''It seems a man walked into the arrivals hall and said he had a device in a bag,'' Defence Forces spokesman Sean O Fatharta said.

The man was arrested, police added, but gave no further details.

Planes were permitted to land during the incident but there was no access to the terminal building. Flights out of the airport were resuming later.

Dublin International Airport is Ireland's busiest airport.

More than 18 million passengers passed through it last year.

REUTERS SHB RN2106