Suspicious Package Near Cooper Union AG Debate Was False Alarm

EAST VILLAGE, NY — A suspicious package outside of Cooper Union's Great Hall during a primary debate for Attorney General of New York turned out to be abandoned luggage, authorities said Friday.

Police responded to a 911 call of a suspicious package at Cooper Square between East 6th and 7th streets in the East Village at about 7 p.m. Thursday as Democratic candidates for state Attorney General traded barbs inside the college's historic Great Hall.

Officers cordoned off the area between East 6th Street and St. Marks Place as they investigated the item left in nearby Cooper Square.

The suspicious package turned out to be a harmless suitcase and officials re-opened the area an hour later, a police spokesman said.

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