Police responded to a “suspicious occurrence” near the site of a Donald Trump rally set for tonight in Long Island, Newsweek reported. Contrary to rumors that swirled on social media, no explosive devices were found.
The update comes amid heightened scrutiny of the former president and current Republican nominee’s security after a suspected second assassination attempt against him two days ago.
“We did respond to a suspicious occurrence in the vicinity of the Nassau Coliseum, however there was no validity of an explosive device being found,” a representative of the Nassau Police Department told Newsweek. “We’re unsure where this information originated, but we can confirm that no explosives were discovered.”
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The report contradicts what an independent journalist, James Lalino, had earlier said that a source within the Nassau Police Department told him. In a post on X Wednesday morning, Lalino wrote that police had found an explosive in a car near the Trump rally site.
“Source said ‘During K9, doing their checks, they found an explosive device in one of the vehicles and that driver ended up running into the woods,” he reported. “‘No one saw if he had anything on him, they just saw him take off running.’”
The local police had previously shared their commitment to cracking down on security for the rally following a suspected second assassination attempt on Trump in West Palm Beach, Florida. The suspect, Ryan Routh, 58, was arrested on Sunday.
“This will be the safest place in the country on Wednesday,” Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder told reporters at a Monday press conference. “Nobody will be in the Coliseum. We do a complete sweep that night.”
Trump supporters had thronged to the coliseum as early as Tuesday to celebrate the former president’s arrival.
