Washington: The bomb threat to the Indian Embassy in Washington was made by a caller from the western US state of Utah speaking in "Hinglish", indicating that he was apparently of South Asian origin, sources said in Washington.
The bomb threat prompted the evacuation of the Embassy premises, chancery and Ambassador Nirupama Rao's residence.
Giving more details about the threat, police and US Secret Service said a suspicious object was found inside the premises of the chancery.
The suspicious object, found on Tuesday morning, was later declared to be harmless, sources told on condition of anonymity.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the call to the Indian Embassy was apparently made from Utah. It is believed that the caller had used VOIP (voice over internet protocol) to make the call to the embassy around 10:30 in the morning.
According to sources, the caller in his/her brief message to the Indian Embassy was speaking in "Hinglish" indicating that the caller is apparently of a South Asian descent.
The US Secret Service, which is investigating the incident, said the investigation is still on and they are looking into every possibility.
The Secret Service along with the Metropolitan Police Department of District of Columbia were very prompt in reaching the Indian Embassy as soon as they were informed about the call.
Areas around the Indian Embassy and the Chancery was immediately cordoned off and thorough search was conducted by the Secret Service, Metropolitan Police along with a bomb disposal squad and the fire department.
Portions of the busy Massachusetts Avenue on which houses the Indian Embassy and the Chancery were closed for about 90 minutes, a Secret Service spokesman said, adding that they did not find any harmful object during the search operation.
As a precautionary measure, the residence of the Indian Ambassador to the US, Nirupama Rao, was searched. Rao was not at her residence at that time. She was on her way to Indiana.
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