Cartoon Network promotion sets off bomb scare in Boston

Feb 1, 2007, 11:35 GMT

Local and state police, homeland security officers and other law enforcement agencies set up a command center in Boston, Massachusetts January 31, 2007. REUTERS/Lisa Hornak

Washington - An obscure cable television promotion led to a bomb scare Wednesday in the Boston area, where several briefcase- sized advertising devices were mistaken for suspicious devices.

Police in the north-eastern state of Massachusetts found nine of the electronic devices Wednesday near infrastructure such as bridges in Boston and a neighbouring city.

After bomb specialists studied and removed the devices, state and local authorities announced that the items proved harmless. They vowed to prosecute anyone involved in what they believed could have been an intentional hoax.

Shortly later, Turner Broadcasting, which owns numerous cable properties including the Cartoon Network and the Cable News Network (CNN) channels, issued a statement taking responsibility for a misunderstanding over a promotional campaign. The advertising was meant to support the Cartoon Network's late-night programming, a group of heavily satirical animated shows called Adult Swim.

'The 'packages' in question are magnetic lights that pose no danger,' Turner spokeswoman Shirley Powell said. 'They are part of an outdoor marketing campaign in 10 cities in support of Adult Swim's animated television show Aqua Teen Hunger Force.'

Considered miniature billboards, the devices were placed two to three weeks ago in sites around Boston and nine other major US cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Philadelphia.

'Parent company Turner Broadcasting is in contact with local and federal law enforcement on the exact locations of the billboards,' Powell said. 'We regret that they were mistakenly thought to pose any danger.'