Bomb Squad Checking Suspicious Package Outside Courthouse in Maine

PORTLAND, Maine -- Officials in Portland, Maine, say a suspicious item outside the federal courthouse is not related to investigations of susicious packages elsewhere.

The courthouse was evacuated Friday because of a backpack left outside the downtown building.

Law enforcement officials say the backpack was discovered in bushes near the courthouse entrance at 10 a.m. The bomb squad was on the scene, and began using a robot to probe the item at 12:39 p.m.

City spokeswoman Nicole Clegg describes the situation as a "localized event."

It coincided with a suspicious package being discovered in the United Kingdom that prompted searches of three UPS planes and a truck in the U.S. No explosives were reported to have been found.