WASHINGTON – A woman who walked into a Joint Base Andrews visitor’s center Thursday evening and said she had a bomb was arrested and determined not to be a threat.
The woman — who has only been described as being “middle-aged” — walked into the Visitor Control Center on the Prince George’s County base and said she had a bomb strapped to her chest shortly after 5 p.m., said Captain Connie Dillon with Joint Base Andrews public affairs.
The woman was apprehended and an Explosive Ordnance Disposal team found there were no explosives in the area. Dillon adds that bomb-sniffing K9s with their uniformed handlers in tow searched the area as well.
“Our people are our most valuable resource and we take every threat seriously,” Col. Brad Hoagland, 11th Wing and JBA commander, said in a tweet from the base’s account.
“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.”
The threat caused the base to lockdown its main gate as well as the Visitor Control Center. Authorities instructed all personnel and residents to avoid the area.
The main gate reopened shortly before 9 p.m.
The lockdown was not impacting missions, and flights were not being redirected.
WTOP’s Mike Murillo contributed to this report.
