KARACHI, 9 September 2004 — Security officials cordoned off the US Consulate in Karachi yesterday after a bomb threat, but found no explosive, officials said.
Unidentified callers phoned a police help line and the consulate, saying a bomb had been planted inside the consulate and would go off at 2.30 p.m. (0930 GMT), said Fayyaz Leghari, chief of operations for Karachi police.
Police blocked access roads to the consulate and searched the surrounding area and found no bomb. They were continuing their search, but suspected it was a hoax, he said.
“We have taken all precautionary measures. We cannot take any risk,” Leghari told The Associated Press.
A spokesman at the US Embassy in the capital Islamabad confirmed the consulate received a bomb threat and that it was working with authorities to determine its authenticity.
However, an official at the consulate — which has been targeted before and is very tightly guarded — said the building was not evacuated.
