Suspicious devices close Boston bridges

Suspicious devices part of marketing plan

Promotion of 'Aqua Teen Hunger Force' cartoon closes Boston bridges

The Associated Press
Updated: 7:26 p.m. CT Jan 31, 2007

BOSTON - More than 10 blinking electronic devices planted at bridges and other spots in Boston threw a scare into the city Wednesday in what turned out to be a publicity campaign for a late-night cable cartoon. Most if not all of the devices depict a character giving the finger.

Boston police said Wednesday night one person had been arrested in connection with the hoax, and authorities scheduled a 9 p.m. news conference to provide more details.

Highways, bridges and a section of the Charles River were shut down and bomb squads were sent in before authorities declared the devices were harmless.

"It's a hoax — and it's not funny," said Gov. Deval Patrick, who said he'll speak to the state's attorney general "about what recourse we may have."

Turner Broadcasting, a division of Time Warner Inc. and parent of Cartoon Network, said the devices were part of a promotion for the TV show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," a surreal series about a talking milkshake, a box of fries and a meatball.

"The packages in question are magnetic lights that pose no danger," Turner said in a statement, issued a few hours after reports of the first devices came in.

It said the devices have been in place for two to three weeks in 10 cities: Boston; New York; Los Angeles; Chicago; Atlanta; Seattle; Portland, Ore.; Austin, Texas; San Francisco; and Philadelphia.

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Does this new attitude mean the kids would get in trouble for welding the trolley car to the tracks, or putting the police car on top of the dome, or ... (There are at least 3 books that even I know of with much more creative jokes by the boys and girls at the beaver house, amd now the mayor gets mad 'cause a talking milkshake gives him the finger?

John