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 All visitors and staff were safely ferried off Liberty Island soon
after an anonymous caller threatened to blow up the statue that
stands guard at the mouth of the Hudson River, Mindi Rambo, a
National Park Service spokeswoman, said in a statement. The 911 call
came in at around 11 a.m. local time.
About four hours later authorities sounded the all-clear after a
security sweep, including two canine patrols, failed to uncover any
explosive device on the island.
Liberty Island, which draws some 4 million visitors a year, will
reopen on Saturday, the park service said.
 Statue Cruises, which operates ferry service between Liberty Island
and Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan, said it took
about 2,700 people off the island and offered passengers full
refunds.
"We are working with NPS to reunite passengers with their belongings
left behind as a result of today’s events," Mike Burke, vice
president of Statue Cruises, said in a statement.
Sue Rodgers, 45, and her daughter Rebekka Rodgers, 16, were among
those who left personal property behind.
The Australian tourists said they were told the evacuation was
underway soon after they had climbed to Lady Liberty's crown, the
highest point of the 305-foot statue open to the public.
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"We got our pictures," the mother said with a laugh while sitting in
Battery Park in the chilly April sunshine. "It was all very calm."
The Statue of Liberty, a gift to the United States from the people
of France, was formally opened in 1886. The colossal torch-bearing
figure was closed for nearly eight months due to damage to the
island by Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
(Reporting By Frank McGurty, Laila Kearney and Ellen Wulfhorst;
Writing by Frank McGurty and Ellen Wulfhorst; Editing by Doina
Chiacu and Lisa Lambert)
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