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Bomb scare in New York amid UNGA: Suspicious suitcase found near UN headquarters

Edited By Navashree Nandini

Published: Sep 23, 2026, 07:18 IST | Updated: Sep 23, 2026, 07:18 IST

Bomb scare in New York amid UNGA: Suspicious suitcase found near UN headquarters

Bomb scare in NYC

Story highlights

A suspicious suitcase found near New York’s UN headquarters triggered a police response and temporary road closures in Midtown East. An NYPD canine detected something inside the unattended bag, prompting the bomb squad to respond. Police later cleared the package and deemed it non-suspicious.

A suspicious suitcase found on a Manhattan sidewalk on Tuesday (Sep 22) amid the United Nations General Assembly session. The incident prompted a bomb squad to respond. The Chrysler Building where bomb was found was temporary evacuated. New York City is under heightened security for UNGA. “Due to a suspicious package, 42nd Street through 44th Street is closed between 2nd Avenue and Lexington Avenue. Please avoid the area,” the NYPD initially said in an alert posted on X.

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The New York Police temporarily closed off a section of Midtown East. According to the first information received by the NY Police, a suspicious package was found on the sidewalk just blocks away from the United Nations headquarters. After the police and bomb squad reached the location, NYPD canine began investigating. It detected something inside an unattended black suitcase just before 3 p.m. at East 43rd Street and Third Avenue. The department's Emergency Services Unit taped off the area. A building in the area was evacuated as a precaution.

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Later, the police confirmed that the package was not a threat. In another post on X, the New York City Police Department said, “The package has been cleared and deemed to not be suspicious. 43rd Street between 3rd Avenue and Lexington Avenue remains closed.” According to news agency ANI, a New Yorker working in a nearby building described the situation as “intense”, citing a suspicious package, multiple motorcades and roads being shut down in the area.

The incident happened at a time when the 81st session of the UN General Assembly is underway in New York. The high-level general debate scheduled from September 22-26 and on September 28 is being attended by the bigwigs including US President Donald Trump, Iranian President Pezeshkian and others. The session's theme is “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All.”