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PescadorPete · 12-23-2008, 06:07 PM

Suspicious package creates traffic nightmare near airport

5:16 p.m. December 23, 2008

SAN DIEGO – Part of Harbor Drive near Lindbergh Field was closed for about four hours Tuesday as authorities examined an object that looked like a pipe bomb, creating a traffic nightmare for holiday travelers trying to reach the airport.
The object was found about 12:30 p.m. near the main gate of the Coast Guard station on Harbor Drive near Laurel Street, the Coast Guard said.
Shortly afterward, officials shut down traffic in both directions on Harbor Drive from Laurel Street to the airport car-rental lots. The road was reopened about 4:30 p.m., shortly after the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department's bomb squad determined the object was harmless, said Maurice Luque, a department spokesman.
The object, made of PVC pipe with holes, was about a foot long and 4 inches in diameter, with caps at both ends and what appeared to be a rope attached to it, Luque said.
Luque said the device was not believed to be a hoax, but instead was thought to be random debris, possibly something that fell off a truck traveling in the area.
The object was found by a jogger who is in the military and has had experience with explosive devices, Luque said.
The road closure created a massive traffic jam as drivers trying to reach the airport had to turn around and drive through Point Loma instead.
“It was a huge inconvenience, and we apologize to the public for that,” Luque said. “But in cases like this where you really don't know what it is, and it's next to a military installation, an airport and a heavily traveled road with walkers and joggers and bicyclists, we didn't want to take any chances whatsoever.”
A command post was set up that included officials from San Diego police, the San Diego Harbor Police, the San Diego Airport Authority, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Luque said.
Luque said the Fire-Rescue Department's bomb robot was initially used to take and relay pictures of the object back to a mobile van, but those images were inconclusive, so technicians had to be sent in to take X-rays.

12-23-2008, 06:07 PM	#1
PescadorPete Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Leucadia, CA Posts: 261	Homeland Security bans bait tubes? Suspicious package creates traffic nightmare near airport 5:16 p.m. December 23, 2008 SAN DIEGO – Part of Harbor Drive near Lindbergh Field was closed for about four hours Tuesday as authorities examined an object that looked like a pipe bomb, creating a traffic nightmare for holiday travelers trying to reach the airport. The object was found about 12:30 p.m. near the main gate of the Coast Guard station on Harbor Drive near Laurel Street, the Coast Guard said. Shortly afterward, officials shut down traffic in both directions on Harbor Drive from Laurel Street to the airport car-rental lots. The road was reopened about 4:30 p.m., shortly after the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department's bomb squad determined the object was harmless, said Maurice Luque, a department spokesman. The object, made of PVC pipe with holes, was about a foot long and 4 inches in diameter, with caps at both ends and what appeared to be a rope attached to it, Luque said. Luque said the device was not believed to be a hoax, but instead was thought to be random debris, possibly something that fell off a truck traveling in the area. The object was found by a jogger who is in the military and has had experience with explosive devices, Luque said. The road closure created a massive traffic jam as drivers trying to reach the airport had to turn around and drive through Point Loma instead. “It was a huge inconvenience, and we apologize to the public for that,” Luque said. “But in cases like this where you really don't know what it is, and it's next to a military installation, an airport and a heavily traveled road with walkers and joggers and bicyclists, we didn't want to take any chances whatsoever.” A command post was set up that included officials from San Diego police, the San Diego Harbor Police, the San Diego Airport Authority, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Luque said. Luque said the Fire-Rescue Department's bomb robot was initially used to take and relay pictures of the object back to a mobile van, but those images were inconclusive, so technicians had to be sent in to take X-rays.