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Seattle police: Suspicious item downtown just bag with hair dryer

SEATTLE — Seattle police responded to a report of a suspicious item near 3rd and Yesler in downtown Seattle shortly after 10 a.m. Tuesday.

The Arson Bomb Unit was dispatched to the scene.
Police said that the suspicious item, a backpack, did not contain explosives.    

The backpack was left near the entrance to a Metro bus tunnel and the King County courthouse.

According to police, guards believed they had seen wires in the bag. The bag contained a hair dryer.

The area was blocked off to pedestrians and vehicles and the King County Courthouse was closed until shortly approximately 11:15 a.m.

"While the Seattle Police Department has not received any information about a threat to Seattle following Monday's tragic events in Boston, MA, the department is taking reasonable precautions to protect our community, and has increased patrols in our neighborhoods and around critical infrastructure," the police department said in a blotter post.