Package found at federal building was harmless

A suspicious package found Monday morning at the Sam Nunn Federal Center downtown on turned out to be harmless, police said.

The package was taken by a bomb squad to a remote location and deliberately detonated by police, Atlanta police spokesman James Polite said. No evidence of explosives was found in the remnants of the package.

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Elissa Eubanks / eeubanks@ajc.com

Police closed some downtown Atlanta streets Monday morning after a security guard at the Sam Nunn Federal Center noticed a suspicious package.

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The Five Points MARTA station and some surrounding downtown streets were shut down for more than three hours Monday morning after a security guard found the package and a bomb-sniffing dog indicated that it might contain explosives. The first floor of the federal center and some nearby businesses were also evacuated.

Streets were re-opened about 10:20 a.m. after a bomb disposal removed the package.