Bomb scare leads police to close down Times Square

NYPD close off streets around Times Square after unattended van spotted outside Westin Hotel. Area re-opened to traffic after vehicle searched.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Times square bomb NYPD 311 (photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Times square bomb NYPD 311
(photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Police temporarily closed streets around New York's Times Square at lunchtime on Wednesday but soon reopened the streets when a suspicious vehicle turned out to be harmless, Reuters reported.
A minivan left unattended with its lights on outside the Westin Hotel prompted the bomb scare, police stated.
RELATED:Video: Recreation of Times Square bomb, 'Devastating'Times Square cowboy has naked ambition: PresidencyAfter closing off several blocks and examining the vehicle, police reopened traffic, according to witnesses present at the time.
Earlier this month, the Pakistani immigrant who tried to set off a car bomb in Times Square was sentenced to life in prison.
Faisal Shahzad, 31, came to court to tell Americans he felt no remorse about his May 1 bombing attempt, and he sparred with US District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum.
Cedarbaum said her sentence was very important "to protect the public from further crimes of this defendant and others who would seek to follow him."