Albuquerque police: Device found on rental car was pipe bomb

Albuquerque TV station KRQE reports (http://bit.ly/1O9S8kI) the device appears to be a pipe bomb.

The Albuquerque International Sunport did not shut down Sunday morning, but customers returning rental cars were diverted to another location after what officials called a “safe and credible explosive device” was discovered at the airport’s Avis Budget rental auto facility.

Judie Miranda, who arrived to pick up a friend, said she spent hours trying to console rental vehicle employees who were told to stay at their posts.

They say the airport is open and no flights have been affected.

However, the authorities did not provide further details about the device found in the scene.

There were “no explosives associated with the device”, said Thomas Mangan, spokesman for the Arizona Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms. Furthermore, agents from ATF and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are working on their separate investigation of the case.

The explosive will be investigated, and authorities are looking into who last rented the vehicle. Police also declared a parking terminal secure.