Woman Falsely Claiming to Have Bomb at Joint Base Andrews in Custody; ‘False-Alarm’ Put Base on Partial Lockdown

Sam ReismanMay 12th, 2016, 6:25 pm
 

A woman claiming to have a bomb strapped to her chest appeared at Joint Base Andrews near Washington D.C. at 5:15 this afternoon. Emergency responders are on the scene and the main gate was put on lockdown, while personnel and residents were instructed to stay away from the area

Joint Base Andrews is a military facility jointly controlled by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force. As of the 2010 Census it had a total resident population of just under 3,000.

The base’s official Facebook page announced:

At approximately 5:15 p.m. today, there was a security incident reported at the Visitor Control Center. Emergency responders are on scene. The Main Gate is currently in lockdown. All personnel and residents should avoid the area until further notice. More information will be released as it becomes available.

According to ABC’s Dan Linden, the situation has been resolved a little over an hour after the woman triggered the “security incident.” The woman did not have a bomb and she is currently in custody, an official says.

As of 6:40 p.m. ET, the base announced that the “situation has been diffused,” though it is still asking residents and personnel to avoid the area while emergency responders secure the area.

“Our people are our most valuable resource and we take every threat seriously,” said Col. Brad Hoagland, 11th Wing and Joint Base Andrews commander. “Our first responders train for these types of scenarios on a regular basis. Fortunately, this incident was diffused quickly and was determined to be a false-alarm.”

This story has been updated.

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