Suspected bomb in backpack left in downtown Kelowna false alarm

Kelowna RCMP closed off part of downtown yesterday because a suspicious backpack may have contained a bomb. Police responded to a call about a suspicious backpack on Leon Avenue around 2:30 p.m. yesterday, Jan. 7, according to a press release from police. RCMP believed the backpack had an improvised explosive device inside. Officers closed off the area to keep people at a safe distance while evacuating local businesses. The RCMP’s Explosive Disposal Unit was called in and arrived around 9:20 p.m. When the explosives unit checked out the backpack there was no bomb inside, so officers disposed of the bag. RCMP reopened Leon Avenue shortly after. The investigation is ongoing and police said no more details can be released at this time. To contact a reporter for this story, email Jesse Tomas mailto:jtomas@infonews.ca  or call 250-488-3065 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. Find our Journalism Ethics policy here. https://infotel.ca/newsitem/code-of-ethics/it106782 We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .