Unattended bag prompts Trump Tower's evacuation

After a thorough search, it was found that the packet left near a store was filled with toys.

New York, Dec 28: An unattended bag containing toys forced the evacuation of the Trump Tower, where President-elect Donald Trump resides, on Wednesday. The package was discovered in the lobby of the 58-storey New York City skyscraper. Trump was in Florida at the time.

"Out of an abundance of caution, NYPD Bomb Squad is responding to a suspicious package in the lobby of Trump Tower," New York Police Department's Assistant Commissioner for Communication & Public Information J Peter Donald said in a tweet.

Video posted on social media showed law enforcement officials telling people to exit the building and people running from the lobby. The evacuation occurred at around 4:45 pm and the bomb squad was called in as a precaution. Trump transition team spokesman Sean Spicer said an unattended package was outside the checkpoint area.

"All clear at Trump Tower following the earlier suspicious package in the lobby," Trump tweeted.

Surveillance video showed that the unidentified boy, who was with his family, had left the yellow backpack behind in the building on Fifth Avenue in Midtown.

The glass tower houses Trump's penthouse, residences and luxury stores. It had also served as Trump’s campaign headquarters and regularly sees the President-elect's cabinet appointments visiting the building for meetings with Trump.

PTI