Martyn "Bomber" Bradbury visits NBR as the situation winds down.
ABOVE: Bomb squad members suit up.MIDDLE: Firemen help block a sidestreet. BELOW: Police cordon off the Citibank Center, home of the US consulate.
UPDATED 5.45PM: Police have lifted a cordon around the US Consulate in downtown Auckland and traffic and pedestrians are allowed to move around as normal.
UPDATED 5.25pm : Police told bystanders that 'the bomb' was in a carpark at the back of the Citigroup Center which houses the US Consulate.
Staff and customers are still inside restaurants next to the carpark where police said "the bomb" was. Police earlier evacuated the Coffee Club across the road in the NBR building.
4.30pm: Police have closed Customs Street East in downtown Auckland following the discovery of a "suspicious substance" in the basement of the Citigroup Centre in Customs St East - home of the US Consulate.
Streets were closed around 4pm.
Bomb squad personnel arrived on the scene around 4.15pm, donning flak jackets.
Police, ambulance and fire officers are also on the scene.
The Citigroup building is being evacuated.
As well as vehicle and pedestrian access being blocked, people are now unable to access a series of Britomart bus stops, iconic eatery Sal's Pizza or, indeed, NBR's head office, which is directly across the street from the Citigroup building.
At 4.54pm, media was ordered off Commerce Street, adjoining Customs Street East.
Two bomb squad members entered the building soon after.
Police told NBR reporter Jock Anderson they are on the scene because of a "bomb scare".
Mr Anderson was threatened with arrest for obstruction if he attempted to re-enter NBR's building.
NBR staff
Fri, 10 Dec 2010
Fri, 10 Dec 2010
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Bomb scare hits US Consulate in Auckland CBD
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