Woman 'with bomb' detained at Andrews AFB outside Washington, DC

12 May, 2016 23:09

A bomb threat put the main gate of Joint Base Andrews in Maryland near Washington, D.C. on lockdown Thursday evening, the Air Force base's Twitter account confirmed.

A woman inside the visitors center declared she had a bomb, and a report was made after 5:00pm, resulting in the lockout that restricted both official personnel and locals from access. The base is regularly used by President Obama and senior administration officials, according to The Hill.

The Joint Base Andrews Facebook page posted this message at 6:38pmEST:

"At approximately 5:15 p.m. today, a woman walked into the Visitor Control Center on Joint Base Andrews and claimed to have a bomb strapped to her chest. Once emergency responders arrived, the individual was apprehended and an Explosive Ordnance Disposal team determined no explosive device was on-scene. Although the situation has been diffused, emergency personnel continue to secure the area and all base residents/personnel should avoid the area."

A bomb squad determined the woman making the threat had no explosives on her, the base reported.