A bomb scare at Caesars Forum, the main venue for this week's DEF CON hacking convention, led to the halls being cleared on Saturday evening.
We're told a suspicious-looking box was spotted and reported, leading to an evacuation for safety's sake and so that fire crews and police officers could investigate.
The timing was bad, coming during the main party night for the conference. The event's Goons, the red-shirted volunteers who serve as guides and organizers, were praised by attendees for managing the evacuation with aplomb. That said, the DEF CON team was ultimately forced to cancel the evening's festivities at Caesars, to the disappointment of thousands.
"Last night we were asked to evacuate the building due to a report of a suspicious package," the conference organizers said.
"Local police and fire departments conducted a thorough investigation and ultimately determined that the package was safe.
"They also conducted additional sweeps of the building as a precaution before allowing our team to return and prepare for today’s con. We are working quickly to keep the original schedule on track, but please check here for additional updates before arriving at DEF CON."
The event kicked off on August 10 and wrapped up by August 13.
Security at the show was certainly heavy enough. The event was patrolled regularly by security guards in body armor with handguns, tasers, the occasional police dog, and a host of other equipment that was a bit of an overkill for a bunch of peaceable hackers.