Bomb scare in Leeds after wife attaches GPS tracker to husband's car without him knowing

It is not known why the tracker was put on the car

(Google)

A terror alert was enacted in Leeds on Tuesday after a suspicious wife attached a GPS device to the car of her husband, who mistook it for a bomb.

The man, formerly a member of the military, noticed the object and called the emergency services.

It was believed the threat was credible because of his prior involvement with the armed forces, making him a possible target for extremists.

"It looks like there's a viable device in my car," he told a 999 operator at around 10am, according to Sky News.

A cordon was put in place around the vehicle and the bomb squad was contacted.

As per the city council’s emergency terror plan, homes on Providence Avenue, Woodhouse - where the car was located - were then evacuated. Preparations for transport and a reception area for evacuees in a community centre were also made.

There were also plans being made to evacuate local schools and offices until the bomb squad realised what the item was – a GPS tracker.

At around 11am, the man’s wife admitted she had - for reasons unknown - attached it to the car, stopping the terror response plan before it went any further, the Yorkshire Evening Post reported.

“This morning officers were called to a suspicious package in a car and an operation was put in place,” a spokesman for West Yorkshire Police told the newspaper.

Leeds City Council also confirmed to Sky News that emergency plans had been put into action.

"We were asked by the police to invoke our emergency procedures," a spokeswoman told the broadcaster.

The Independent was unable to contact the police or council services involved.