Statue of Liberty Closed for Hours Following Bomb Threat
The landmark was closed for most of the afternoon, police said.
— -- The Statue of Liberty was evacuated today after a caller made a threat stating that "they were going to blow up" the landmark, authorities said.
The National Park Service, which operates the landmark and island in New York City, said the call came in at 11 a.m. and everyone was "immediately evacuated and all personnel and visitors are safe."
In a statement, the federal agency said, "United States Park Police personnel -- including two canine units -- swept the statue. The canine units alerted on an area of interest near the lockers at the base of the statue. At this point ... it was in best to evacuate the island."
The NYPD Bomb Squad investigated what was believed to be a suspicious package in a visitor’s locker. Police later said the locker had been inspected and found to be empty.
The nearly four-hour closure also kept ferries from New York City and New Jersey from docking to the island. The evacuation and subsequent suspension in ferry service resulted in a backlog that forced the island to effectively close for most of the afternoon.