Police evacuated the National Gallery in Edinburgh after a suspicious package was found outside.
A section of Princes Street was closed to the public and a bomb disposal team was sent to the area, which was closed off to the public.
It was later determined that the package was "non-viable", and the cordon was lifted.
The speed of the police response caused a considerable stir among passersby on what is one of Scotland's busiest metropolitan areas.
One person tweeted: "Bomb disposal in Edinburgh, Princes Street closed off, not finding any info online yet."
A second shared a video of the bomb disposal squad closing part of Princes Street off to pedestrians and vehicles, writing: "Bomb disposal on Princes Street Edinburgh Police closed off part of the road #edinburghcity #policescotland."
Bomb disposal on Princes Street Edinburgh Police closed off part of the road #edinburghcity #policescotland pic.twitter.com/EuH6sJDkMY
— Emily (@har_m_on_y) September 20, 2021
A spokesperson for the Scottish National Galleries told the BBC: "Earlier today a suspicious object was found outside the Scottish National Gallery.
"Police Scotland were notified and as a precaution the Gallery was evacuated to ensure everyone's safety while this matter is looked into. We hope to reopen as normal tomorrow morning."
The gallery had perviously Tweeted that it was closing.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 1.40pm police received a report of a suspicious package found at a building on the Mound, Edinburgh.
“Emergency services attended, the building was evacuated and a cordon put in place.
“EOD attended to examine the package and confirmed it was non-viable.
“All surrounding road are in the process of being reopened.”
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