A man walked into New York's biggest bus terminal during morning rush-hour today and told officials he had a bomb, causing its temporary closure and traffic chaos as the US stood on high alert for possible attack, officials said.
A spokesman for the Port Authority Bus Terminal said police examined a bag left by the man near the police desk and found a cell phone taped up with wires and connected to a battery that was not an explosive.
The man, identified as Mr Eduard Poplawski, 56, of Queens, New York, was arrested without a struggle, spokesman Mr Steve Coleman said. Charges were pending, he said.
Mr Coleman said the man first approached a Greyhound bus company official who told the police. He allegedly made statements to the effect that it was an explosive device.
Mr Coleman said the south wing of the terminal, which receives hundreds of thousands of commuters daily into the Times Square area, was evacuated and closed from 1.15 p.m. to 2.05 p.m, causing traffic jams.