White House Press Room Evauated Briefly After Bomb Threat

WASHINGTON — Secret Service officers on Tuesday evacuated the White House briefing room “as a precaution” after Washington police received a bomb threat by telephone at 1:53 p.m. specifically concerning the room, Secret Service officials said.

The evacuation was limited to the briefing room and did not affect any other sections of the White House, the Secret Service said. Tourists were also moved away from the North Lawn to the far side of Lafayette Square.

Journalists and White House officials first gathered just outside the West Wing, and were then told to assemble inside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which is across from the West Wing.

After a short time, the news media was allowed back into the briefing room.

Earlier on Tuesday, multiple floors of the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill were evacuated and one entrance closed after the Capitol Police received a call reporting a suspicious package in one room. The building was reopened a little while later. At the same time, Capitol Police responded to a report of another suspicious package at the Russell Senate Office Building, which turned out to be an unattended cooler.

Source: www.nytimes.com

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