New Zealand cabinet evacuated in bomb scare

WELLINGTON - New Zealand cabinet ministers were evacuated from their offices adjoining parliament in Wellington Monday after a bomb scare.

A suspicious package, which the Newstalk ZB radio network said was reported to have protruding wires and the word “”bomb” on it, was found in the office of agriculture minister David Carter when staff arrived for work.

Police closed roads around the parliamentary complex and the building was evacuated for about 90 minutes until the army bomb squad gave the all clear.

The scheduled weekly cabinet meeting was moved to Prime Minister John Key’s official residence about one kilometre from parliament.