Posted on 01/31/2007 12:04:30 PM PST by Howlin
BOSTON -- Four "hoax devices" were found at several Boston locations Wednesday, hours after officials detonated a suspicious package on an elevated structure above the Sullivan Square Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority station.
The additional packages were found at the Boston University Bridge, the Longfellow Bridge and near the intersection of Stuart and Columbus streets. A device described by officials as a pipe bomb was found in the basement of the Tufts New England Medical Center at 185 Harrison Ave.
A spokesman for the Boston Police Department said that all of the packages appeared to be similar.
"Our device was not an active device. We are still treating the area as a crime scene. There were no injuries. Everyone was evacuated properly, and everyone now back to their locations," Tufts New England Medical Center's Brooke Hynes said.
Mayor Tom Menino said that all of the packages found posed no danger, but the incidents remained under investigation. Storrow Drive eastbound was shut down for a brief time, and the MBTA suspended service on the Red Line and planned to bus afternoon commuters between Kendall and Park Street stations.
Earlier Wednesday, the state police bomb squad was called and detonated the package in Sullivan Square just before 10 a.m. Officials said it contained an electronic circuit board with some components that were "consistent with an improvised explosive device," but they said it had no explosives. They determined that the device was not dangerous, but destroyed it as a precaution.
"We determined that this device, in particular, was not explosive," said MBTA Lt. Sal Venturelli.
He said MBTA police were told about the package by a transit passenger who spotted it on a column that supports Interstate 93. The parcel was located on an elevated structure above the bus way and below I-93 in the Charlestown section of Boston at about 8 a.m.
"This is a perfect example of our passengers taking part in Homeland Security," Venturelli said.
An investigation will be conducted into how the package got there and when, he said.
Train service on the Orange Line between Sullivan Square and Wellington stations was suspended in both directions. No injuries were reported.
The northbound side of I-93 was closed, causing significant traffic backups. Motorists were not allowed to access the highway near Sullivan Square coming up from the south.
"what if somebody sees a bomb and floors it and runs over a pedestrian."
That is the problem, it is a perception thing. What if someone sees the beam from a large searchlight in the sky from some store "grand opening" and freaks out and runs somebody over. Should the owners of the company go to prison?
Here's my hypothesis:
From the images that I've seen of these, it looks like the signs were designed to light up at night. (There's a pic over at http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanderlin/358742603/ of one of these in Philadelphia in operation.) At night, they light up, it's a cartoon image, no one gets alarmed.
In daylight, they're not lit. Someone wanders by in the daylight, sees a weird circuit board, call the cops suspecting the worst. Other people recall seeing the same thing as well and call the cops. And then we have a city-wide panic.
"They should be arrested for TERRORIZING the Boston citizens."
And terrorizing the rest of the country, for that matter.
Considering the source of this 'advertising', it may well have had a dual purpose. . . like ridiculing our Homeland Security Department. The placement of the devices was strategic.
Good God...
This was AWSOME!!!...FRICKIN AWESOME!!!!
The Boston bomb LEOS know what is what.
They knew as soon as they saw anything that size that the amount of damage it could to to a bridge would be cosmetic.
If it was actually an IED.
There's not a lot of gray area about flipping the bird. Here's the device all lit up:
Muslims don't place searchlights they place IEDs
OK, Shirley. We get it. Now hike up your skirt, jump on a chair, and let out a girly scream.
Ok then hang them
"Considering the source of this 'advertising', it may well have had a dual purpose. . . like ridiculing our Homeland Security Department. The placement of the devices was strategic."
As usual, we agree. (grin) Bet the terrorists are have a good laugh now too, thanks to CNN et al!
Dismissing enemy threats and dry runs as phobia is a moonbat tactic.
This should give the muzzie bombers some real hope.
"As usual, we agree. (grin) Bet the terrorists are have a good laugh now too, thanks to CNN et al!"
Yes, we do! And . . . they got a dry run they didn't have to execute or waste time, resources and exposure planning.
What I find fascinating is that all the liberals I know in Boston think the terrorism threat is White House propaganda.
The last Bostonian I talked to about terrorism started laughing aloud and told me George Bush was making the whole thing up.
After seeing this reaction it seems those liberals understand that the threat is real.
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