(Newser)
–
British troops, police, bomb squads, and firefighters rushed to the scene of a feared terrorist attack—only to learn that the culprit was an electronic cigarette. A highway was closed for more than four hours over reports that a Megabus passenger's bag was emitting "vapor," the BBC reports. The bus was evacuated, with passengers "told to sit in rows and not talk to each other" along the highway, said one. "There were armed police aiming at us."
The investigation discovered that the vapor was from an e-cigarette. "We would like to apologize for any inconvenience and hope that the public understand that we have our duty to safeguard public safety," police said, noting that the response was appropriate based on the information available. Officers "responded swiftly and proportionately," said the force rep.
