New York City's Times Square reopened to traffic after a bomb squad found no explosive devices in an abandoned van parked in the area.The van was seen around 11 a.m. Wednesday by patrol officers on Broadway between 41st and 42nd Streets, and counterterrorism and bomb squad crews responded.
The area was blocked off and two high-rise buildings home to Nasdaq and publishing company Conde Nast were partially evacuated but allowed back in around 1 p.m. Nasdaq said its trading was unaffected. Conde Nast was in the process of evacuating when the order was lifted.The 1992 Dodge van was parked in a row of cars beneath some of the large billboards that ring the square. Police used a robot to examine the vehicle, then approached on foot and peered in the windows.
The van had tinted windows and a placard from a nonexistent law enforcement agency on the dashboard. It had no license plates, but a temporary registration was found inside.
There have been no corresponding threats involving the vehicle, said chief NYPD spokesman Paul J. Browne.
"Its presence in Times Square just before New Year's Eve causes us concern, and that's why we're taking extra precautions," he said.
New Year's Eve in Times Square draws hundreds of thousands of revelers each year. The NYPD takes extra precautions around this time of year, doing sweeps of garages looking for suspicious vehicles, Mr. Browne said.
The area was blocked off and two high-rise buildings home to Nasdaq and publishing company Conde Nast were partially evacuated but allowed back in around 1 p.m. Nasdaq said its trading was unaffected. Conde Nast was in the process of evacuating when the order was lifted.The 1992 Dodge van was parked in a row of cars beneath some of the large billboards that ring the square. Police used a robot to examine the vehicle, then approached on foot and peered in the windows.
The van had tinted windows and a placard from a nonexistent law enforcement agency on the dashboard. It had no license plates, but a temporary registration was found inside.
There have been no corresponding threats involving the vehicle, said chief NYPD spokesman Paul J. Browne.
"Its presence in Times Square just before New Year's Eve causes us concern, and that's why we're taking extra precautions," he said.
New Year's Eve in Times Square draws hundreds of thousands of revelers each year. The NYPD takes extra precautions around this time of year, doing sweeps of garages looking for suspicious vehicles, Mr. Browne said.
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