Police arrest man who prompted Boston Seaport bomb scare

Lawrence Police on Friday arrested the man thought to be connected to a bomb scare that shut down traffic in the Seaport area of Boston.

According to Channel 5, James Derepentigny, 50, was arrested in Lawrence and will be brought back to Boston.

Police said Derepentigny has a lengthy criminal record and history of mental health issues.Police said they think this was an isolated incident that he carried out alone and was not tied to any larger body of terrorism.

Boston’s Atlantic Avenue was shut down Friday as a bomb squad detonated a suspicious package at 11:50 a.m. on Friday.

The object, a suitcase, was dropped near a U.S. Coast Guard facility, in front of a Homeland Security vehicle, Boston Police Commissioner Williams Evans said. The suitcase contained wiring and a power source, Evans said. A man who appeared to be in his 40s was caught on camera dropping the briefcase and hurrying away.

Police brought in the bomb squad out of an abundance of caution, Evans said.

“Given what’s going on around the country, better safe than sorry,” he said.

The man who dropped the suitcase later walked towards High Street “at a rapid pace,” Evans said. Police don’t believe the public is at risk.

Investigators later released a blurred surveillance photograph of the man, now believed to beDerepentigny, and asked the public’s help in locating him.