New York: The Statue of Liberty and its surrounding island, one of the most visited monuments in the United States, was given the all-clear on Friday after being evacuated because of a bomb threat, police said.
New York police “deemed the area safe” following a “thorough check” but Liberty Island and the monument will remain closed for the rest of Friday due to scheduled closing hours, US park police said.
The threat was phoned into emergency services shortly after 11am (1500 GMT), sparking the immediate evacuation of all personnel and visitors, the national park service said.
The caller stated that they were going to blow up the Statue of Liberty, the service confirmed.
Park police and canine units swept the statue and New York bomb disposal officers were scrambled after a possible suspicious package was located in a visitor locker.
Photographs posted on Twitter showed a long line of tourists waiting to board a return ferry to Manhattan.
New York police said the island was cleared by 2pm.
“Please cooperate, ladies and gentlemen, and step quickly through the gap [in the barricades] to the rear of the vessel,” visitors were told over loudspeakers in a video recorded by a visitor.
“There is more seating available up top, so please do not stop or hesitate on the gangway.”
Each day thousands of people visit the statue, a colossal, 151-foot sculpture of a woman bearing aloft a torch. A gift of France to the American people, it was dedicated in 1886.
