Pressure Cooker Causes Scare in Boston

AP - A pressure cooker left outside a home in East Boston caused a brief scare, but police quickly determined it did not contain explosives.

Boston police spokesman Sgt. Michael McCarthy said police believe the pressure cooker had been discarded. He said the cooker, with its lid still on, was spotted on a sidewalk near a home Tuesday morning.

A school located nearby was put in ``safe mode'' as a precaution while the device was investigated.

Two homemade pressure cooker bombs exploded during last year's Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring more than 260.

Authorities on Monday announced a series of steps to beef up security at this year's marathon on April 21, including doubling the number of police officers to more than 3,500, adding more surveillance cameras and bomb-sniffing dogs.