Abandoned car gives bomb squad big scare

Police set off concussive device before towing away vehicle

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TURIN, Italy - A police bomb squad was investigating a car that was abandoned with its engine running on a street near the main press center Thursday at the Olympics, and police set off a concussive device before towing it away.

Two people were seen running away from the small car parked near a traffic underpass, police said. Residents were evacuated and nearby cars were towed.

A small bang heard several minutes after officers blocked off the area was a controlled explosion set off by investigators, police said.

Helicopters hovered overhead on the Via Nizza, a street adjacent to the press center. It is also in the vicinity of the speedskating venue, part of a sprawling former Fiat plant.

Police said the car had Spanish license plates, and paramilitary police responded, according to Cecilia Reale, an officer in Turin’s police headquarters.

A small handful of uniformed investigators could be seen nearby the red, economy-sized car, with its hatchback and hood up.

The Associated Press