White House Evacuation Follows Bomb Threats
There was a White House evacuation today after bomb threats interrupted the White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest’s daily briefing. The live, televised briefing was interrupted to address the possible bomb scare.
https://youtu.be/PuVD-HdZ128
The Secret Service reported that a bomb threat had been called into the DC Metropolitan Police Department. This threat to the briefing room came a few short hours after another evacuation took place during a hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
Police activity in the Dirksen #Senate building all clear. Norhtwest Door is now open. Thank you staff and visitors for your cooperation.
— SenateSergeantAtArms (@SenateSAA) June 9, 2015
Both threats proved to be a false alarm.
President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and their two daughters did not evacuate the White House.
Reporters attending the White House briefing were moved to a street separating them from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Secret Service agents inspected the briefing room after the White House evacuation by using dogs to detect explosives.
Reporters were allowed to return to the White House after about an hour and a half.
“Shortly before 2 o’clock today a telephonic bomb threat concerning the room that we are now all in was called into the Metropolitan Police Department. The local police department contacted Secret Service officials who determined that for the safety of all of us they needed to evacuate the room and then to sweep it,” confirmed Earnest.
The Inquisitr reported about the seriousness of security in the D.C. area when a man was arrested for flying a drone in the area of the White House.
Evacuations are a precaution to ensure that Secret Service can effectively clear an area or find a bomb while keeping people in the immediate area safe.
“I have complete confidence in the professionalism of the men and women of the secret service to make judgments about what’s necessary to keep all of us safe,” Earnest told reporters during the briefing.
After the Secret Service cleared the building, everyone continued to complete their work, including the briefing by Earnest.
[Photo courtesy of AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster]
