May 7th, 2010
06:06 PM ET

All-clear given in Times Square scare

Police have blocked off parts of Times Square and evacuated people because of a suspicious cooler left in Times Square.

[Updated at 6:06 p.m.] Read the full CNN.com story

[Updated at 2:32 p.m.] Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York acknowledged after that incident that terrorists have targeted New York.

"We have to take every precaution, as you know, because we remain a prime target for terrorists," he said. "That's something all New Yorkers understand and it's something that we need Washington to understand as well."

"We will continue to doing everything we possibly can to protect New Yorkers from terrorist attacks. We have, as you know, built the most comprehensive and sophisticated counter terrorism operation of any local police force in the world."

[Updated at 2:24 p.m.] An all-clear was declared Friday after authorities investigated a suspicious package left in front of a hotel in Times Square and determined that it contained water bottles, police said.

[Updated at 2:10 p.m.] The New York Police Department has deployed a robot to X-ray the cooler that was abandoned in front of the Marriott Marquis hotel in Times Square, police told CNN's Susan Candiotti.

[Updated at 2:15 p.m.] A bomb squad robot has completed its X-ray of the suspicious cooler left in Times Square, CNN's Susan Candiotti reported. But, the results were inconclusive.

Members of the bomb squad are now suiting up to get a closer look.

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[Updated at 2:01 p.m.] CNN's Ali Velshi who is on 47th Street and Broadway reports: "Times Square is entirely empty" on certain blocks.

[Updated at 1:58 p.m.] Kathy Duffy, who is in her office at the Marriott Marquis hotel, told CNN the Times Square Alliance said there was an abandoned cooler left outside. Duffy said officials told her that the bomb squad was trying to determine if it was a threat. She said that the hotel has not been told to evacuate.

[Updated at 1:51 p.m.] A spokesman for the Times Square Alliance says, according to the NYPD, the following streets are closed:

  • East bound on 46th Street from 8th Ave
  • West bound on 45th Street from 6th Ave.
  • And the Broadway and 7th Avenue plaza between 44th and 47th.
  • 44th and 47th Streets themselves are not closed.

[Updated at 1:45 p.m.] The suspicious package that prompted evacuations in New York's Times Square is a white cooler that was left near the front of the Marriott Marquis Hotel, police told CNN.

The area is not far from where Faisal Shahzad left his SUV that had explosives in it.

People were evacuated from the streets of Times Square after a report of a suspicious package.

[Posted at 1:24 p.m.] Times Square has been evacuated after a suspicious package was found near 45th street, a New York Police Department official said.

The package was found near 45th Street and Broadway, officials said.

The evacuation comes six days after an SUV with explosives was left in Times Square resulting in the arrest of Faisal Shahzad.

This story is developing. We'll bring you the latest information as we get it.

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Filed under: Times Square
soundoff (1,087 Responses)
  1. nyart

    somewhere there are two tourists going i thought you had it, no I thought you had it
    darn!

    May 7, 2010 at 1:58 pm | Report abuse |
  2. Christopher Alan Fields

    BS – More False Flag USA Government Terror.

    May 7, 2010 at 1:58 pm | Report abuse |
  3. sean

    time square has not been evacuated. parts of time square has been evacuated, there is still people in hotels and in buildings

    May 7, 2010 at 1:59 pm | Report abuse |
  4. courtneyhowell

    i cant believe than somebody would put lots of peoples lives in danger

    May 7, 2010 at 1:59 pm | Report abuse |
  5. vmitchell

    Clearly, this is America's fault – even if nothing happens, remember what we must all learn: Islam means peace, jihad is America's fault, not all Muslims are bad – and repeat.

    Liberals are on hair trigger alert here – they don't actually care what happens or doesn't happen to Americans, just DO NOT say anything bad about Islam and PLEASE do not have a backlash against Muslims, something Americans have never did, not after 9/11 or Ft Hood or just last week in Times Square.

    Liberals, get ready, get set.....

    May 7, 2010 at 1:59 pm | Report abuse |
  6. kathy

    OH no now they will have to get rid of trash containers because we just gave them that idea!

    May 7, 2010 at 1:59 pm | Report abuse |
  7. jeffrey ramirez

    Is not for nothing guys but this country most stay alert at all time because we are still in war and you should know that the evil gave sign of doing a disaster before 9/11 when they destroy the car garage of the world trade center and now they after times square in which if the public eye and the law enforcement fall to sleep on that it will be another major disaster for new,york city ladies,gentlemens

    May 7, 2010 at 1:59 pm | Report abuse |
  8. mickey

    Its a cooler full of beer for the bomb squad.

    May 7, 2010 at 1:59 pm | Report abuse |
  9. Berachah

    Hey how many innocent people have been killed in Iraq by our surgical strikes. How many of our soldiers were killed because of subsstandard equipment....How many people died because of ecoli, how many people killed because of the KKK in our country and nothing done about it! How many people have commited suicide because they lost their homes. How many people have died because of no health insurance! GEEZ!

    May 7, 2010 at 1:59 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Tom

    Chuck Norris is en route to drop kick the package

    May 7, 2010 at 1:59 pm | Report abuse |
  11. nerd hut

    Water, one dollar. Get your ice cold water.

    May 7, 2010 at 1:59 pm | Report abuse |
  12. Patriot from the US

    Are you kidding, Mexicans steal from everybody, they would never leave beer behind.
    KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    May 7, 2010 at 1:59 pm | Report abuse |
  13. Dan

    It's because of the Red Sox Yankees game.... Seriously, I'm glad they're taking this stuff seriously. Unfortunately in this day and age we have to be very cautious in situations like this.

    As someone else said, hopefully this will turn out to being nothing and everyone can just move on.

    May 7, 2010 at 1:59 pm | Report abuse |
  14. POSNYC

    The death penalty won't deter a Terrorist. They blow them selves up all the time.

    May 7, 2010 at 1:59 pm | Report abuse |
  15. philly girl

    I love New York too but it's better in Philly. yesterday the Dow went down 1000 points and now this.....

    May 7, 2010 at 1:59 pm | Report abuse |
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