FBI finds no explosives probing World Bank telephone threat

FBI agents checked five World Bank buildings over a six-hour period late Thursday and early Friday and found no explosives, FBI spokeswoman Debra Weierman said.

Photo: FBI finds no explosives probing World Bank telephone threat

Earlier, in a posting on the World Bank's Internet site, the bank said: "World Bank Group Corporate Security is investigating a bomb threat received by telephone, the AP reports.

The World Bank (the Bank), a part of the World Bank Group (WBG), is an internationally supported bank that provides loans to developing countries for development programs with the stated goal of reducing poverty. The World Bank differs from the World Bank Group in that the former comprises only the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Development Association, while the latter incorporates these entities in addition to three others.

The World Bank was formally established on December 27, 1945, following the ratification of the Bretton Woods agreement. The concept was originally conceived in July 1944 at the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference. Two years later, the Bank issued its first, and largest, loan: $250 million to France for post-war reconstruction; an issue which has remained a primary focus, alongside reconstruction after natural disasters, humanitarian emergencies and post-conflict rehabilitation needs affecting developing and transition economies.