A Turner Broadcasting Company advertising plan, which placed magnetic devices with lights in several Boston locations, yesterday alarmed city, state and federal agencies, who believed the suspicious boxes might have contained explosives.
Similar boxes were found in Somerville and various locations in Boston, including underneath the BU Bridge. The bridge, Interstate 93, Longfellow Bridge, Storrow Drive and the Red Line were all closed at certain points throughout the day as safety precautions.
At a 4:15 p.m. press conference with Gov. Deval Patrick and Mayor Thomas Menino, Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis said the scare forced the city to close roads and call in extra law enforcement agencies to each location where a suspicious package was found, taking a toll on the city’s resources.
“This has created an enormous inconvenience,” Davis said.
Officials were still sketchy on details at the time of the press conference, however. The first package was found in the early morning.
During the conference, officials would not say if they knew whether the boxes were planted by a particular person or organization, although rumors were already circulating that Turner had been responsible.
“It’s too early to say,” Davis said at the time, only offering there was no indication the boxes were a terrorist act.
During the press conference, Turner issued an official apology for the scare. Turner said in its statement it is in contact with area and federal law enforcement agencies to review the positions of what they called “billboards.”
“We regret that they were mistakenly thought to pose any danger,” read the statement.
The lighted devices, which depicted characters from Cartoon Network’s show “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” – owned by Turner – had been placed in Boston and nine other major cities several weeks ago as a promotional ploy, according to Turner’s statement.
An outraged Menino said at the press conference whoever is responsible should face a heavy penalty, which could mean imprisonment of two to five years per box.
“We’re not playing around,” he said.
In a statement released last night, Menino condemned Turner for its marketing ploy.
“It is outrageous, in a post-9/11 world, that a company would use this type of marketing scheme,” he posted on the city’s website.
At 10:30 last night, a local artist was arrested for placing the boxes, according to Boston.com.
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