Security alert during Obama's Belgian visit declared false alarm

Brussels, Belgium: Belgian police said a security alert caused by a suspicious package found on a Brussels bus during a visit by U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday had turned out to be a false alarm.

The package that had caused the scare was found to be harmless and the security perimeter set up around the bus was about to be lifted, a police spokesman said.

Police said earlier they had called in the bomb squad to investigate the package which was found in the north of Brussels, about three kms (two miles) from the headquarters of NATO. Obama was due to hold talks with NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen later.

-Reuters