Man held for bomb hoax near G7 summit

LONDON (Reuters) -Police said they had arrested a man for a bomb hoax near to the media centre set up to cover the G7 summit south west England after officers were forced to evacuate a hotel in response to reports of a suspicious package early on Thursday morning.

Officers were called out to the hotel in Falmouth, where most media covering the meeting of the global leaders are based, at about 3.15 a.m. local time after the package was found.

A Royal Navy bomb disposal unit was called in and declared it unviable, but only after about 100 people from a hotel and surrounding properties were evacuated.

Police said a 20-year-old man from Falmouth had been arrested on suspicion of a bomb hoax and was now in custody.

U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in Britain on Wednesday evening and he is staying at the seaside resort of Carbis Bay, about 25 miles away from Falmouth.

There is a large security operation in place for the G7 event, the first in-person meeting of the leaders of major developed economies for nearly two years, with 5,000 police officers drafted in from across Britain.

Police have closed off roads and coastal paths to Carbis Bay, the small seaside resort which is hosting the event, and erected a steel fence around the venue, with armed officers on patrol.

Activists have vowed to stage disruptive and annoying protests during the event to highlight their causes.

(Reporting by Sarah Young and Michael Holden; Editing by Andrew MacAskill)