Authorities evacuated government buildings, banks and railroad platforms in Minsk on Friday after an unknown group issued a bomb threat in email messages.

The group, calling itself the Belarusian People's Liberation Army, said in the messages that explosive devices had been placed at four Minsk district administration buildings, five railroad platforms as well railroad lines and branches of a commercial bank in the Belarus capital.

An emergency official said workers were searching for bombs, but so far had found none.

An opposition leader called the warning a provocation meant to play into the hands of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, saying the government would likely use the incident to accuse its opponents of terrorism.