Reports of a lockdown at the Joint Base Andrews in US on Thursday was a false alarm that came during a security exercise, officials confirmed.
Military officials had issued the lockdown order after a report of an ‘active shooter’ situation at Malcolm Grow Medical Facility on the base.
The report caused almost an hour of uncertainty on the base and within the government.
Secretary Jeh Johnson, who was testifying before Congress told lawmakers there was “an unfolding situation at Andrews Air Base which may require that I take a break from this session’’.
Joint Base Andrews is a United States military facility located in Prince George’s County, Maryland and serves as the home of Air Force One, the US President’s official aircraft.
A security drill leading to confusion is not new to Washington. On the anniversary of the 11 September terror attacks in 2009, a Coast Guard exercise on the Potomac River led to confusion and sent first responders racing to the scene.
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