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No Explosives Found In Suspicious Device At SF Bus Stop

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- A suspicious device similar to a pressure cooker in appearance discovered abandoned at a San Francisco bus stop, triggered a massive police response Thursday but was found to be harmless, authorities said.

An alert Muni driver spotted the metallic device as he was dropping off passengers and called it into dispatch.

San Francisco police sent units to the area immediately after receiving the call at 7:27 a.m. Streets in the area of S. Van Ness and Mission were blocked off and Muni service was halted.

#BREAKING Bomb scare at Van Ness Ave. between Mission St. and Market St. in San Francisco Anne Makovec - KPIX 5 reports

Posted by KPIX CBS San Francisco Bay Area on Thursday, September 22, 2016

A robot from the San Francisco police bomb squad was sent in to search the device which had wires hanging out of it. Meanwhile, police officers with bomb sniffing dogs searched cars parked along the street.

The robot picked up the device and removed its top. No explosives were found and the area slowly began to return to normal. The device appeared to be a rice cooker.

Bomb scare over in SF - Anne Makovec - KPIX 5

Posted by KPIX CBS San Francisco Bay Area on Thursday, September 22, 2016

Local law enforcement agencies across the country and in the Bay Area have been on alert since a terrorist bomb placed inside a pressure cooker exploded Saturday night injuring 29 people in New York City.

A suspect -- Ahmad Rahami -- has been arrested in New Jersey in connection with that bombing.

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