911 caller in bomb scare that closed parts of Portsmouth, NH, called self ‘bus manager’

Caller in NH bomb scare called self ‘bus manager’

CONCORD, N.H. — A transcript of a 911 call that sparked a bomb scare and standoff on a bus in New Hampshire includes a description of an “Arabic” man with a “walkie-talkie” who referred to a bomb.

It’s not clear whether the caller, identified as a “bus manager,” was on the bus in Portsmouth on May 6. He or she reported that a number of people heard the remark.

Witnesses on the street have said the driver left the bus, disabled it and told people to get away. Authorities evacuated buildings and streets and surrounded the bus with a bomb squad and sharpshooters.

Passengers got off safely a few hours later, but a man from Burundi whose phone conversation in Swahili led to the standoff was too frightened to leave for hours.