CNN: Lockdown at the Pentagon caused by a false alarm

The emergency that triggered a lockdown at the Pentagon and the evacuation of several floors of the building turned out to be a false alarm, according to CNN sources. Initially, it had been reported that the incident was linked to ‘hazardous materials’. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed that the building’s internal systems ‘detected an air quality issue requiring precautionary measures, pending a determination of its severity’.

A message sent by the Pentagon’s security service reported the detection of an ‘air quality issue’ and the need for further checks. ‘These further checks may take between one and two hours. Response teams are on site and ready to assist the building’s occupants if necessary. Personnel from various agencies and precautionary measures can be seen in the central courtyard. Please do not jump to conclusions about these activities,” the message read. According to two of the sources, access has been blocked to the second to fifth floors, and to the corridors from the fourth to the seventh floors, of the vast Pentagon complex. A third source told CNN that police officers inside the building were wearing gas masks and full-body chemical protection suits.