Woman Claiming to Have Bomb Forces Lockdown at Andrews Air Force Base

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/13/us/bomb-claim-forces-lockdown-at-andrews-air-force-base.html

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A woman claiming to have a bomb strapped to her chest forced the lockdown of the main gate at Andrews Air Force Base on Thursday, the Air Force said.

The woman was taken into custody, and a bomb disposal team determined that she did not have an explosive device, the Air Force said.

The woman showed up at what is known as the base’s visitor control center — the main gate — around 5:15 p.m., the Air Force said. She informed a guard that she was carrying a bomb, and the control center was quickly locked down while police and other emergency response units rushed to the scene.

Andrews Air Force Base, on its Twitter feed, warned that base “personnel and residents should avoid the area until further notice.”

Personnel were not allowed to enter or leave the base, which is in Prince George’s County, Md., and is the home of Air Force One, and had been ordered to remain where they were, a spokesman, Master Sgt. Lee Osberry, said.