Security alert at Ibiza airport

The airport was evacuated and flights have been cancelled

Spanish police evacuated Ibiza's airport after a Basque newspaper received an anonymous bomb threat.

Police destroyed a suspicious bag, which was found to be harmless.

The building was cleared after Gara, a newspaper which has been used for claims by Basque separatist group Eta, said it had received a warning.

Thousands of passengers were moved to safety and flights were grounded for several hours, in what has now been called a false alarm.

The Mediterranean island attracts thousands of mainly European holidaymakers annually.

Police discovered two suspicious packages at the airport - a shoe box and a rucksack.

A remote-controlled robot was used to search the box, which was found to be empty.

Gara said on its website that it had received a phone call warning of an "explosive device" at the airport. The caller did not say who they represented, which is usually the case with Eta, Reuters news agency reported.

The building was evacuated at about lunchtime and shortly afterwards a low-level explosion was heard.

Around 13,000 people have been affected by the disruption, a spokesman for the AENA airport authority, which controls Spain's airports, said.

Some 300 arrivals and departures had been scheduled for Saturday, but during the alert incoming flights were diverted to other Spanish airports or were kept circling.

Spain has been on alert since Eta declared an end to a unilateral ceasefire on 5 June.

Despite the ceasefire, two people were killed in a bomb explosion at Madrid's Barajas airport in December.