WASHINGTON — A movie theater was evacuated after a bottle bomb exploded at about 2 a.m. Sunday, the second D.C-area theater to be hit by such a bomb in 24 hours and the third in a week.
Sunday’s bombing happened at theater 1 at the AMC Tysons Corner. Deputy Chief Mike Reilly, with the Fairfax County Fire Marshal’s office says two people were affected by the bomb and treated at the scene.
Reilly says the contents are similar to the bottle bombs that went off at the same theater last week, and that one of the components was “a very strong acid.”
Early Saturday, a bottle bomb also went off at the AMC Magic Johnson Theater, in Largo. The Prince George’s County fire department says no one was hurt by the bottle bomb, and there wasn’t any damage to the theater.
At around midnight last Saturday, a similar bomb was set off at the Tysons Corner theater.
On Sunday, AMC said in a statement that they would be setting up a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of whoever was responsible.
“These actions, which cause panic among large groups of people, are unacceptable, and we will press charges to the fullest extent without hesitation,” the statement said.
Theater officials say that federal law enforcement is also investigating.
A spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says the ATF has been asked to investigate.
WTOP’s Kate Ryan, Kristi King and Dick Uliano contributed to this report. Follow @WTOP on Twitter and WTOP on Facebook.
