Obviously, the evacuation was prompted by more than illegal cigarettes, drugs or smuggled migrants.
Keeping the Palm Beach Princess away from the port seems too cautious, unless it is a very small port and the investigation into the interesting persons or things is clogging up the dock with emergency vehicles.
False terror concern evacuates port, closes streets
RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Authorities evacuated a four-block area around the Port of Palm Beach and shut down nearby roads and waterways following a terror threat that turned out to be a false alarm.
Mayor Michael Brown said police officers stopped a car with two men who were leaving the port on Wednesday. Police believed at first that one of the men was on a national terrorist watch list.
As a result, authorities evacuated nearby homes, businesses and a Boys and Girls club, limited road and boat traffic and began searching containers at the port. A gambling cruise ship, the Palm Beach Princess, was not allowed to dock in time and told to stay about five miles offshore, WPTV reported.
Authorities soon determined the alarm was caused by mistaken identity and began reopening the area about 5 p.m., WPTV reported.
2,013 posted on 07/28/2004 6:17:28 PM EDT by JellyJam