Bomb threat leading to New York's Statue of Liberty and Liberty Island evacuation deemed unfounded

New York's iconic Statue of Liberty and Liberty Island were temporarily closed after a bomb threat led to its evacuation on 24 April. New York Police Department (NYPD) bomb squad examined a locker believed to contain a suspicious package and later declared the bomb threat unfounded, officials said.

The National Park Service was informed shortly after 11am that a 911 caller had made a bomb treat to the Statue of Liberty, park service spokeswoman Mindi Rambo said. Rambo told CNN that US Park Police canine units "alerted on an area of interest near the lockers at the base" of the statue.

According to CBS, the packaged was determined to be safe by law enforcement. The scene was declared clear at 3.15pm ET. Other lockers were also examined as a precautionary measure.

Police said all civilians were evacuated off the island, while emergency personnel remained. CNN reported that the fire department also had EMS units at the site as a precaution.

"Our first priority is the safety and well being of all our visitors," said Mike Burke, the head of Statue Cruises, which runs the ferry to the island. Burke added that the ferry would be "postponing all service to Liberty Island until the investigation is complete."

Gothamist reported that Ellis Island, where there is a museum to commemorate immigration to the US, was also evacuated due to the bomb threat made to the Statue of Liberty.

Several tourist said the island's evacuations went smoothly, but there were not told why they were evacuating. "They didn't give us a reason for it," Eric Gustafson told CBS. "The communication was lacking. We weren't nervous. It was mostly frustrating." Gustafson said he and his family learned what was going on after checking Twitter.

The Statue of Liberty and Liberty Island are set to reopen on 25 April.