Man remanded after bomb scare gridlock

A MAN appeared in court yesterday in connection with a bomb scare which brought Europe's oil capital to a standstill.

Colin Pirie, 27, appeared on petition at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and was accused of placing a package on the city's Guild Street bridge on Thursday morning.

Pirie, of Aberdeen, was charged with contravening sections of the Criminal Law Act 1977 which relate to bomb hoaxes.

A spokesman for the Crown Office said: "He made no plea or declaration and was remanded in custody."

Army bomb disposal experts were called to Aberdeen after a member of the public found an allegedly suspicious package on the bridge over the railway station.

The bomb scare caused gridlock to traffic in and around the city centre, chaos on the railways, and forced the evacuation of two busy shopping malls.