U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sheltered in the house of U.S. Ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow in Moscow after she received a bomb warning in the hotel she chose to stay in during her multi-day visit, said Russian Information Agency Novosti on Tuesday.
Rice's convoy changed its route after arriving in Moscow and headed to the ambassador's house after she learned that a bomb was planted in the hotel, Novosti said.
Russian security personnel thoroughly searched the hotel, but did not find a bomb, the authorities said, adding that they would search for the "telephone terrorist," who caused the false alarm.
Rice did not change her visit program in Moscow, U.S. Embassy sources told the agency.
In her first visit to Moscow as U.S. Secretary of State, Rice has been set to meet with President Vladimir Putin and her counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday, Spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexnader Yakovenko said.
The talks would touch on combating international terrorism and control weapons of mass destruction (WMD) trade potentials and other issues of importance to international stability, the spokesman said.
Moreover, U.S. President George W. Bush has been set to visit Russia in May to attend celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, and would hold talks with President Vladimir Putin.