Bomb threat

Press, 7 April 1984, Page 11

Bomb threat

NZPA-AP New York President Ronald Reagan’s departure from New York was delayed by a bomb threat yesterday. A suspicious package in the Hilton Hotel turned out to contain pencils, pens, books, and no explosives, a police squad detective said. A White House spokesman, Mark Weinberg, described the incident as “a threat situation” and said the delay was about 10 minutes.

The Reagans spoke with New York’s new archbishop and then returned to Washington. A briefcase was found on stage rafters in the ballroom of the Hilton where Mr Reagan had attended a dinner, said detective Jim Hatcher of the Bomb Squad. The White House deputy

press secretary, Larry Speakes, said the case was found at the hotel about the time Mr Reagan ended his speech.

The case was moved to a dressing room by the Secret Service and was’ then taken out of the building.

“The briefcase contained pencils, pens, books, no explosives,” said detective Robert Noll.

In Washington, a Secret Service spokesman, Mary Ann Gorton, said: “It was a bomb threat.” No arrests were made.

Mr Weinberg said that during the 10-minute delay, the President and his wife, Nancy, remained in a holding room at the Hilton, where the President had addressed a dinner of the New York State Federation of Catholic School Parents.