New York, July 04: Police determined that a suspicious device that led to the evacuation of a car rental compound near New York's Laguardia Airport today was a hoax. Police found a real automatic pistol and ammunition in the car, however, said Police Chief Joseph Esposito. "The bomb squad responded, took a look at what was inside the vehicle and determined it was a hoax device," he said, describing it as two flares taped together with a clock attached. Earlier, a police spokesman said emergency services responded after receiving a call of a suspicious vehicle was parked in the national car rental lot.

Port authority officials at Laguardia said the scare had not affected flights at the airport, which is geared up for a spike in passenger volume over the July 4 Independence Day holiday. Fire trucks, ambulances and police cars were deployed and an eight block area around the compound was cordoned off in what has become a routine response to any terrorist alert in the New York area.
Part of the city's subway system and the Brooklyn Bridge were temporarily closed on yesterday following alerts that turned out to be hoaxes.
Bureau Report