Police and CNN have issued an all-clear message after the network’s New York offices and studios were evacuated on Thursday night because of a phoned-in bomb threat.
“The NYPD has now given us the all clear, and employees have been permitted to return to the building. The building is secure and safe for everyone to return in the morning. We appreciate the swift action by the local authorities, and the patience and professionalism of all the employees who were impacted” CNN Worldwide president Jeff Zucker said in an internal memo to staff.
The threat came on Thursday night when a caller indicated there were five devices in the building. Several fire alarm bells rang inside CNN’s New York newsroom, signaling an evacuation shortly after the call was received. Staffers evacuated the CNN New York offices in the Time Warner Center building and Don Lemon’s “CNN Tonight,” which had been on a commercial break, was taken off the air.
The network temporarily went to taped programming for about half hour before going live from the street while police investigated.
CNN was also evacuated in October after a package with an explosive device, addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan, was discovered. The package was among more than a dozen improvised explosive devices sent to prominent Democratic politicians and donors around the country in October.
None of the devices detonated, and no one was injured. Suspect Cesar Sayoc, 56, was charged with five federal crimes and is currently in custody waiting for trail. If convicted, he could receive up to 48 years in prison.
