Breaking: 'Hoax Devices' Found At Several Boston Locations (Several 'Suspicous Packages' Found)

Boston.com ^ | January 31, 2007

[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.

[Howlin]

The Coast Guard just closed the Charles River.

[Howlin]

PING!!!

[theanonymouslurker]

Dry run.

[MeanWestTexan]

Performance "art" by some Tufts students trying to make a "statement" (about how stupid they are).

[Dead Dog]

testing reaction times

[onyx]

Pipe bombs for sure, right?

[Bahbah]

It looks like there is all kinds of testing, testing, testing going on.

[Howlin]

My thoughts exactly.

[tiredoflaundry]

Thanks Howlin !

[Howlin]

I think you are exactly right.

[tiredoflaundry]

Either that or a distraction.

[Yaelle]

How could they find so many hoax bombs so quickly? That says a lot about the alert level of the passers by. Or were there also threats phoned in?

[Howlin]

We posted at almost the same time!!

[Angry Write Mail]

Welcome to John Kerry's America

[Bushbacker1]

Hate to see this happen, but could it be the libs are reaping what they sowed?

[Howlin]

Shep said nothing had been phoned in to claim responsibility, but who knows if that is correct.

[Mo1]

someone testing???

[Obadiah]

Were they in rumpled, brown paper bags? And is Ted Kennedy in town?

[xcamel]

six-seconds-of-seperation.
:-)

[cripplecreek]

Hoax or not it's still pretty serious.

[Jaxter]

"..suspicious package.."

[Howlin]

It's going to be hard to dismiss this many.

[NinoFan]

Unfortunately, one of these times it's going to be the real deal and not just a dry run. :(

[Enchante]

some a-hole of an "art student" in NYC did something like this in Manhattan subway stations sometime after 9/11. They caught the guy and should have treated him very very harshly for all the thousands of people inconvenienced and terrorized. Doubt they did any more than give him a light slap on the wrist.

[BigSkyFreeper]

I hate to sound like a conspiracy nutjob but it happened on the same day London police thwarted a planned attack.

Coincidence? I dunno....

[good old days]

I agree.

[OCCASparky]

Great, and I've got to fly out of Logan on Friday.

Just my damned luck.

[Howlin]

Heh!

Please, I'm eating some lunch!

[xcamel]

One of these days these idiots are going to blow up a suspicious package and find out too late it was a shielded box of cobalt 60 powder or something much worse.

[goodnesswins]

Decoys?

[Howlin]

Don't you think this many packages will be hard for them to give the standard "move along, nothing here" admonitions?

[Bushbacker1]

Agreed. I think it may be a test for later. Or, might not be a hoax at all.

[NeoCaveman]

McCain campaign try to take out Mitt Romney?

I know, lame attempt at humor

[Howlin]

I am sure they are thinking that.

And near the hospital where you would take any injuries.

[jdm]

It seems like it's always Boston, doesn't it?

[Howlin]

Shep says that the BPD says they are "hooks devices."

What is that?

[Moonman62]

How can this happen in Boston where there are so many America hating liberals? Kerry is still on his America bad mouthing tour, too.

[xcamel]

I mean the bomb squad will do the work for the terrorists....

[woofie]

Ive been looking for "Socks"...Al has done a Sandy Berger with that cat

[Howlin]

Boston Harbor closed to recreational boats.

Beacon Hill, Back Bay, etc., are the places they are concentrating on.

[OCCASparky]

Cesium 137 would be that "something much worse." However, I think one of the things the remote 'bots have is radiacs as well to make sure they don't blow one of those up by mistake.

[filbert]

Shep says that the BPD says they are "hooks devices."

What is that?

He's saying "hoax devices" maybe?

[txflake]

You noticed how EVERYTHING happens at Logan?

[leilani]

Ah, but this is Tufts, so they were probably just doing extra credit for a Mideastern Studies prof in the IR school. ;-)

[massgopguy]

It was filled with electronics. There is a Music Complex right there were half assed bands practice. Someone probably stole an AMP, ditched it and was going to come back later.

[spectre]

Might be a college frat stunt?

sw

[Bushbacker1]

It seems like it's always Boston, doesn't it?

Liberalville! Like I said before, the libs are reaping what they've sown!

[relictele]

Our device was not an active device

Similar to Pelosi's face and Hillary's personality, then.

[NHResident]

It's just a 'spoof' by MIT students.

[COBOL2Java]

This morning on the Washington DC Metro system, a "suspicious package" was found on the Braddock Road Metro stop. This station was likewise closed during the investigation Link to story.

Coincidence? One wonders...