News - Local News - On Patrol

POSTED: Thursday, Jun. 25, 2009

Bellingham Police respond to bomb scare on train

BELLINGHAM - A suspicious package was found by an employee on an Amtrak train Monday, June 22, at the Bellingham train station on Harris Avenue.

Bellingham Police officers who responded to the scene learned the package had been discovered the night before by the cleaning crew, who had then placed it in the dining car, said Mark Young, spokesman for the Bellingham Police Department. Another employee discovered the package the following morning and called 911.

The package was 6 inches in diameter and 3 feet long and covered in wrapping paper, Young said. It had duct tape on one end and a thick wire was attached to the package which made it suspicious, he said.

One of the officers at the scene, who was also a member of the Hazardous Devices Unit, screened the package and determined it was not a threat.

The package turned out to be a doormat with a wire handle that had been rolled up as a gift, Young said.