The FBI announced Tuesday evening that a bomb threat made on Los Angeles' subway system could not be verified. The announcement comes a day after federal and local officials warned the public of an anonymous caller who indicated something would occur on the Los Angeles Metro Red Line in Universal City.
Although the FBI said it found no evidence that the threat is credible, the agency will continue to investigate the identity of the caller, according to FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.
The threat of a terror attack against a busy commuter rail station in the Los Angeles area prompted authorities to increase security throughout the region and urge commuters to report any suspicious behavior.
FBI, LAPD and sheriff's department officials said Monday they received a telephone call about an imminent but uncorroborated threat against the Metro Red Line in Universal City. The threat came from overseas through an anonymous phone call to a public safety line, said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Deirdre Fike in a news conference.
The overseas tip line caller indicated that something would occur at the station at Lankershim Boulevard across from Universal Studios on Tuesday, she said.
Law enforcement officials have stepped up security at the station and other transit stations across the area while authorities still worked to determine the credibility of the threat. Orange barriers were installed at the Red Line Universal Station early Tuesday. Armed members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department were at the station, just off the 101 Freeway in the San Fernando Valley.
Mayor Eric Garcetti himself arrived at the Universal City station to ride the red line to Koreatown, telling another rider he didn't think the threat was credible.
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Some commuters underwent bag searches before boarding trains.
"We wanted to have an abudance of caution here today," Garcetti said.
More than 145,000 riders use Metro's Red and Purple lines each day, Garcetti said.
