Employees and visitors of the Centru and Buiucani Courts of Chisinau were evacuated on Thursday morning after someone called the police and said that explosive devices had been planted in those buildings. A similar bomb threat was made against a shopping center based in Chisinau, IPN reports.

The General Police Inspectorate said the police were notified at about 11am through the 112 Emergency Service. The bomb scare at the shopping center was announced through a phone call made shortly afterward.

All the specialized services traveled to the scene. As a result of examinations, it was ascertained that the bomb threats were hoaxes.

The authors of bomb hoaxes face a fine of 27,500 to 42,500 lei, 240 hours of community service or up to two years in jail.