Statue of Liberty to reopen after anonymous bomb threat

The Statue of Liberty is set to reopen today after thousands of tourists were evacuated yesterday when a bomb threat was made by an anonymous caller.

Statue of Liberty Image by David Saddler / CC BY 2.0

A thorough sweep of the landmark by investigators turned up no explosives.

The caller made the threat late yesterday morning, “stating they were going to blow up the Statue of Liberty,” the National Park Service said in a statement.

Federal police, including two canine units, investigated and the dogs found “an area of interest” in a locker area at the statue’s base, the agency said.

Law enforcement then decided to evacuate the island as a precaution.

Nothing harmful was found in the lockers, according to New York Police Department spokesman Steve Davis.

The NYPD bomb squad and federal authorities continued sweeping the area for much of yesterday afternoon as a precaution, he added.

Statue Cruises, which operates the ferries that carry tourists to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, said it safely evacuated 2,700 people from the island. It offered them refunds and help getting back any items left behind.

(Press Association)