Crime & Safety
It's Just A Drill: Several Events Around Boston Set Folks On Edge
The drills and false alarms come as several suspicious packages were discovered across the country yesterday.
BOSTON, MA — There were signs of nervousness in and around Boston on Thursday after a series of bomb threats nationwide, with a flurry of police activity near the Beacon Hill home of Former Secretary of State John Kerry, an evacuation at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and another evacuation at the Boston Globe's downtown offices. All three events turned out to be either a drill or a false alarm.
An hour after police were called to Beacon Hill, they determined there was no threat. The Boston Globe evacuation turned out to be a drill, newsroom officials told Patch.
The evacuation at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government also turned out to be a routine drill, school officials said.
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"It was a normal typical fire drill to make sure everyone goes to the right exits," said school spokesman Gail Chalef.
There haven't been any credible threats similar to those reported across the country, police told Patch.
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But the events nevertheless triggered a spate of alarms on social media, especially Twitter.
Harvard Kennedy School is currently being evacuated. @Harvard #USPolitics pic.twitter.com/KZ0azfpfRP
— Christina Andreasen (@AeChristina) October" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/AeChristin... 25, 2018
TFW the @BostonGlobe offices are being evacuated....
— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) October 25, 2018
Not everyone seemed to know what was going on.
The Kennedy School at Harvard is being evacuated right now. Unclear how significant the threat is.
— Matthew Teague (@MatthewTeague) October 25, 2018
The Secret Service intercepted a series of suspicious packages containing potential explosives that were sent to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama among others Wednesday. CNN also reported a suspicious package was sent to its building in Manhattan. Packages were also sent to former CIA chief John Brennan and Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schulz.
Yesterday a San Diego newspaper evacuated after a report of a suspicious package there, too.
See also:
- Police Investigating Near John Kerry's Home in Beacon Hill
- Possible Explosives Addressed To Clinton, Obama; CNN Evacuated
- Building Evacuated After Suspicious Packages Found In San Diego
- Suspicious Package Sent To Robert Dinero
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Photo by Jenna Fisher/Patch Staff
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