A suspicious device near the finish line of the Pittsburgh Marathon
on Sunday prompted police to briefly stop the race after it had
begun. The device was disabled and police said it was not believed
to have been an actual explosive.
The device, in a small microwave oven, was spotted Sunday
morning on the sidewalk next to the Greyhound bus station after the
race leaders had finished the course, police Lt. Kevin Kraus said.
The bomb squad determined there were contents that resembled
an explosive, and the area was evacuated, Kraus said. He declined
to describe the materials that concerned authorities pending a
further evaluation.
"Certainly, from what we did see on the X-rays, we were
highly concerned," he said.
The disruption came a day after a car-bomb scare in New York
emptied Times Square, clearing thousands of tourists from the
streets for hours.
Kraus said police stopped the 26.2 mile race in the area for
10 to 12 minutes. The competition resumed after the bomb squad used
a robot to disable the device and the area was cleared shortly
before 11 a.m., he said.
"At this point, we believe it was not an actual explosive
device, but we are still evaluating the microwave and its
contents," Kraus said. He said surveillance cameras in the area
were being examined to try to find out who put the device there.
Police could not immediately confirm the race was re-routed.
But Karen Fredette, a marathon spokeswoman, said the race was
diverted around the block where the device was found but the finish
of the race near the David L. Lawrence Convention Center was not
changed.
"We're really happy that everyone is everybody is safe,"
Fredette said.
A crowd waiting for runners to pass at mile 26 saw the first
10 or 15 runners go by and then were told to move up the street by
marathon staff, said Kathleen Riordan, 41, of Dormont, who was
waiting for her husband to run by.
"At first I wasn't sure what was going on, either. I thought
it was kind of strange that they were changing the marathon
course," Riordan said. She didn't hear about the suspicious device
until she got to the end of the course.
About 5,000 people took part in the full marathon, which does
not attract the sport's elite runners.
Katie Miller, 34, of Butler, and sister Jamie Kemerer, 31, of
Charlotte, N.C., finished in about 5 1/2 hours and didn't notice
any disruptions. The sisters said the only complication was a
steady rain that had slowed to a drizzle by mid-day.
"Our shoes," Kemerer said. "It was 5 pounds on each foot."
