A bomb scare closed streets near the Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles.
A bomb squad checked out two unattended suitcases outside the consulate Monday morning, the Los Angeles Police Department said. Police cordoned off part of Wilshire Boulevard, where the consulate and other Jewish organizations are located, for several hours.
Police declared the area safe shortly after noon Pacific time, according to reports.
As videos of closed-off streets began surfacing on YouTube, police told several news agencies of the bomb threat.
The city''s Israeli Consulate has been the target of previous bomb threats. On Dec. 18, 2007, the entire building, which houses the consulate, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Young Judea and the Israeli Scouts, was evacuated due to a bomb threat that was later found to be a false alarm.