Bomb scare at Seattle port

August 17, 2006|Associated Press

SEATTLE -- Authorities evacuated dozens of workers and set up a half-mile perimeter around part of the city's port yesterday after bomb-sniffing dogs indicated that two shipping containers from Pakistan could contain explosives.

A bomb squad later searched the containers and found nothing dangerous .

Customs agents used a gamma-ray device at Terminal 18, south of downtown, to peer through the containers' steel walls. They detected items inside that did not match the containers' manifest, agency spokesman Mike Milne said.

The containers were then subjected to the dogs, which raised concerns about explosives. It was not immediately clear why the dogs were mistaken .

Officials said the containers were supposed to contain oily rags, which are often shipped internationally for recycling or use in packaging. Authorities continued examining the cargo yesterday afternoon.

Milne said the ship had originated in Hong Kong and made stops in China before arriving Monday in Seattle.

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