Updated at 8:10 PM EST
A Twitter message from Col. Brad Hoagland, 11th Wing and Joint Base Andrews commander stated that "... this incident was diffused quickly and was determined to be a false-alarm.” An earlier tweet form Joint Base Andrews said that the woman involved had been detained.
Original Story
Officials at Joint Base Andrews near Washington, D.C., locked down the main gate Thursday evening after reports of a bomb threat.
Police and emergency rescue personnel around 5:15 p.m. responded to a "security incident" at the Visitor Control Center, according to a notice the base posted on its Facebook page.
"The Main Gate is currently in lockdown," it states. "All personnel and residents should avoid the area until further notice. More information will be released as it becomes available."
A resident said the incident involved a woman who claimed to be wearing a bomb.
Air Force Capt. Connie Dillon, a spokeswoman for the base, was unable to confirm that report. She said she didn't know if any air traffic was being directed away from the base.
The installation located about 10 miles outside Washington, D.C., in Prince George's County, Maryland, is home to several thousand service members and their families. It also houses the two VC-25 aircraft known as Air Force One when the president is aboard.
Joint Base Andrews falls under the command of the Air Force's 11th Wing in the Air Force District of Washington. It was formed in 2009 after the merging of Andrews Air Force Base and the Naval Air Facility Washington.
-- Hope Hodge Seck contributed to this report.
-- Brendan McGarry can be reached at brendan.mcgarry@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Brendan_McGarry.
