RIO DE JANEIRO -- The bomb squad rushed past crowds on Copacabana Beach to investigate a backpack abandoned near Rios ritziest hotel. Despite the potential for danger, local diners sipped their beers, watched an Olympic swimming race on a big-screen television and took selfies with a disposal robot amid what turned out to be a false alarm.Meantime, a table of eight American tourists asked for the bill and scurried away.Suspicious packages, muggings, stray bullets flying at venues, shattered windows on a bus and an Olympic security officer fatally shot in a favela. A smattering of incidents since the Olympics began has unnerved visitors to Rio de Janeiro even as some Brazilians say typically crime-ridden streets in touristy areas seem more secure.I feel safer now than I ever have here, said Carlos Augusto, a military retiree who is a native of Rio.Contrast that with the reaction of German tourist Cristina Van Hove, who was in line waiting to enter the basketball arena at Olympic Park Thursday night when an explosion startled her and a friend. The crowd grew quiet as an announcer said something in Portuguese that they couldnt understand. Turns out, security had blown up a backpack left near a bathroom. The boom reverberated even inside Carioca Arena 1, where the game between Spain and Nigeria began in front of a scant crowd.We didnt know what it was, Van Hove said, adding that the sound took her back to the November terror attacks in Paris, when suicide bombers blew themselves up outside of the Stade de France as part of a coordinated attack by the Islamic State group that left 130 people dead.Its Van Hoves first Olympics, and despite all the social media chatter about alarming incidents here and there, she said she feels relatively, though not entirely, safe.Newton de Oliveira, an independent security expert in Rio, said its impossible to gauge whether crime has gone up or down during the games because there is a lag in the gathering and releasing of statistics. Olympic organizers also havent put a number to the incidents of violence or false alarms.At this point, all we can have are personal impressions, said De Oliveira. Tourists might believe that crime is up because they are not used to living in a city with all the security and violence problems of Rio.Pervasive crime is part of life here. In the first five months of 2016, homicides increased by 18 percent to 1,870 in greater Rio. And in the wealthier tourist districts, locals and visitors have long been targets of muggings. For the Olympics, more than 85,000 security forces have been deployed in Rio -- double the number of London in 2012.The most serious incident connected to the games so far happened Wednesday, when one Olympic security officer was fatally shot after he and two others got lost near a slum close to the international airport. No arrests have been made. The citys many favelas have not seen the stepped-up security present elsewhere.In another harrowing episode, two Australian rowing coaches were assaulted Friday night walking back to their hotel in the posh Ipanema beach neighborhood. Two teens, one of them brandishing a knife, grabbed the coaches by their throats and pushed them against the wall. The visitors quickly handed over their wallets and mobile phones, a spokesman for the Australians said.The next day, also near Ipanema beach, Portugals education minister was robbed at knifepoint on a busy street. The thieves were caught by police.Stray bullets have twice flown into the Olympic sports complex in Deodoro, a rough neighborhood thats playing host to events including equestrian and rugby. No ones been injured. And on Tuesday, two windows were shattered on a bus carrying journalists; Rio organizers blamed rocks, although one passenger, who identified herself as a former American military officer, insisted the cause was likely gunfire. No one was seriously injured.And in whats starting to feel like a common occurrence at these games, bomb squads have set off several controlled explosions after finding unattended items such as the backpack near the basketball arena. Detonations also have happened near the finish line of a cycling race and, Tuesday night, outside of the Copacabana Palace hotel.Authorities wont say how many calls theyve responded to, and while the vast majority of cases are immediately discarded, many are investigated, taking a toll on already overworked officers.You have to run things down, said Matthew Levitt, director of the Washington Institutes Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence. The fact that you find out later it was nothing doesnt mean that you didnt need to do that. This type of vigilance is going to continue.Many tourists are only catching glimpses of the violence on TV or the internet, if at all.The risks were so exaggerated, said Byron Rivas, an accountant from Colombia walking around the downtown port area that until an Olympic cleanup had been a dangerous place. We got here worrying about security, and now we dont even think about.For locals, the heightened police presence is something of a godsend. And as for the bomb scares? Its all part of the Olympic show.After the incident outside of the Copacabana Palace, waiter Francisco Freitas joked: If the police allow me to grab that backpack, Id give it to my son to take to school.---Associated Press reporters Tom Withers and Pauline Arrillaga contributed to this story.---Joshua Goodman is on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjoshgoodman His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/journalist/joshua-goodmanPeter Prengaman on Twitter: http://twitter.com/peterprengaman His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/author/peter-prengamanJack Tatum Youth Jersey . Two pressure cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the April 15 race in an area packed with fans cheering the passing runners. Three people were killed and more than 260 injured, including at least 16 who lost limbs. 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Allrounder Jimmy Neesham has been named in New Zealands Test squad for the upcoming tour of India, having not played an international since the Brisbane Test against Australia last November. Fast bowler Matt Henry and batsman Jeet Raval have been dropped from the 16-man squad that toured Africa, with Neesham the only addition to what is now a 15-man group.Neesham was forced out of last summers Australia tour due to back pain, but he has since then played for Otago during New Zealands home season and for Derbyshire in Englands county competition. New Zealand selector Gavin Larsen said Neeshams all-round ability made him an attractive proposition for the tour of India, while Corey Anderson could not be considered due to a back injury.Jimmy has put in a lot of work to make sure he is physically ready for a return to Test cricket, Larsen said. Having two pace-bowling allrounders in Jimmy and Doug Bracewell helps the balance of the squad, particularly if playing on pitches which demand a spin-heavy bowling attack.Jeet Raval misses out on this tour, but we were really pleased with what we saw of him in Afriica.dddddddddddd He did everything asked of him and well continue to monitor him closely.Mitch Santner and Ish Sodhi will have benefitted from getting a taste of Indian conditions earlier this year at the ICC World Twenty20 and both showed excellent form at that tournament. Its another big challenge for them early in their young careers, as well as for Mark Craig, who has made some changes in the past six months and has shown growth in his game.Indias the No.2 ranked side in the world, and their record at home is formidable. Were yet to win a Test series over there and thats motivating for everyone. Weve got three Tests to try create a special piece of history.The first Test is in Kanpur beginning on September 22, followed by Tests in Kolkata and Indore.Squad Kane Williamson (capt), Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Mark Craig, Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Luke Ronchi, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling. ' ' '