Tag Archives: terrorism

Hysteria Grips US Malls as Thousands Evacuated in Multiple Bomb Scares

Saturday was a crazy day at the mall in America as thousands of Christmas shoppers were evacuated in light of bomb and other threats of violence.

The evacuations come on the heels of a highly publicized terrorist attack in San Bernardino in which 14 were killed and over 20 people injured.

At the outdoor Largo Mall near Tampa, Florida 500 people were told to leave after an empty suitcase caused concern. In Hackensack, New Jersey the two-floor Riverside Mall was evacuated when someone noticed a bomb threat written on a bathroom wall. Across the country in New Mexico, at the Animas Valley Mall in Farmington, another restroom message caused the police to evacuate and close the mall as they searched for the threat. On San Francisco’s iconic Embarcadero an ownerless backpack sent the police into suspicious mode, clearing the area and carefully examining the lone backpack for bombs or other threats.

No bombs or other threats were found in any of these incidents. The disruption and delays caused by the threats did interrupt the smooth flow of commerce on what was one of the busiest shopping days of the year.