|
 No injuries were reported at the sites around New Jersey and New
York where the letters were received, which included at least two
hotels and the offices of former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani.
Police have been out in force throughout the metropolitan area ahead
of the February 2 National Football League championship game. Met
Life Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, about 10 miles west of
New York City has been on lockdown since Sunday.
At an Econo Lodge hotel in Carlstadt, New Jersey, which had received
an envelope containing a loose white powder, hotel general manager
Eylem Naik said authorities had tested the powder and pronounced it
harmless.
"Everything is under control," Naik said. "They are leaving the
premises now."
A letter was also found at a Homewood Suites by Hilton in East
Rutherford, according to a local police officer.
"Everything is fine, the hotel is operating now as normal," said the
officer, who declined to give his name as the case is now being
handled by the FBI.
The FBI said on Twitter that the powder was "deemed non hazardous"
and was still being tested.
At least seven locations in Bergen County, New Jersey, received the
envelopes said Jeanne Baratta, chief of staff at the Bergen County
Executive's office.
"The letters were delivered in different communities and to
different establishments, including Rutherford, East Rutherford and
Lyndhurst," she said. "Everything is being thoroughly investigated."
[to top of second column] |
New York City Police, New Jersey State Police and the Federal Bureau
of Investigation were all involved in the response to the suspicious
letters.
An estimated 400,000 visitors have traveled to the region for the
game and Super Bowl related events. Both teams, the Denver Broncos
and Seattle Seahawks, have been staying at hotels in Jersey City in
the week leading up to the game.
Police have also been focused on the threat of a possible attack on
mass transit ahead of the Super Bowl, similar to the late December
bombings in Russia that killed 34 people in two days in the lead-up
to the Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Roughly 30,000 of the 80,000 people expected to attend Sunday's
football game will travel by mass transit, as parking at the stadium
will be limited, officials have said.
(Additional reporting by David Jones in Newark, New Jersey;
writing
by Scott Malone; editing by Gunna Dickson)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
