Fact-checked: What actually happened at Mandley Park
Rumours quickly spread on social media - before the truth emerged
Within minutes of the alarm first being raised, images were circulating. Images showing a man wearing a vest, on his knees, surrounded by armed police in a Salford park.
Officers had been urgently scrambled to Mandley Park, in Higher Broughton, just before midday to reports of a 'suspicious' man.
He had been spotted in the outdoor gym area, which sits at the top of a slope running down to the playground, wearing a t-shirt, jogging bottoms, trainers, and what appeared to be a black padded vest.
Armed officers swarmed the park from all directions and with their weapons pointed, surrounded the man.
Pictures and videos taken in the park in the heart of Salford's Jewish community, which was busy with people enjoying some early Spring sunshine, began to swirl on social media.
Numerous posts, some from accounts with thousands of followers, claimed he was wearing a 'suicide vest' and that he also had a gun. Similar claims were contained in messages which began to be frequently forwarded on WhatsApp.
In some of the videos being shared from the scene, onlookers could be overheard saying they feared for their safety as the man 'had a bomb attached to him.' There were also other references to a 'suicide bomb' and a 'pack.'
The man was forced to lie down face-on-the-ground before eventually being allowed up onto his knees and ordered to remove the vest.
It turned out to be nothing more sinister than a weighted gym vest that the man was wearing whilst exercising. A cable he had with him - which initially been feared to be 'wires' - turned out to be just a skipping rope.
Videos showed the man being escorted from the park. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) are yet confirm what happened to him. In a statement, the force said: "We received a report of a suspicious male on Bristol Street, Salford, at around 11:52am today.
"Officers attended and quickly established that the individual was wearing a weighted gym vest and carrying a skipping rope while exercising at an outdoor gym. This was a false alarm and there is no threat to the wider community."
A spokesperson for the Community Security Trust (CST), a charity which protects Jewish communities in the UK, said: "Police have confirmed there is no wider risk to the public. We thank GMP for their swift response to what appears to have been a false alarm."
The Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester said: "Thankfully this has been clarified as a false alarm and there is no threat to our community. This incident is indicative of the levels of anxiety currently being faced by Jewish people across the world.
"We are once again grateful for the exemplary response by Greater Manchester Police and the professionalism of the Community Security Trust. We are fortunate to be able to rely on these two amazing organisations to keep us safe."