New York Times Square reopened after threat

Oct 20- Police temporarily closed streets around New York's Times Square at lunchtime on Wednesday but soon reopened the streets when a suspicious vehicle turned out to be harmless, police said.

An unattended Chevy minivan was parked with its lights on outside the Westin Hotel, a police spokesman said.

After shutting several blocks and examining the vehicle, police reopened traffic and gave the "all clear" signal, witnesses said.

Investigations of suspicious packages are common in the Times Square area. Police typically close streets when unattended baggage is found at the busy section of Manhattan known as the Crossroads of the World.

Occasionally there is a real threat. On May 1, a Pakistan-born U.S. citizen parked a truck full of fuel and fireworks in Times Square in an attempt to kill civilians.

(source:reuters.com)