UPDATE: The All American gate has been re-opened, according to Fort Bragg officials. The vehicle and suspicious package were inspected and no explosives were found, officials added.
A suspicious package was found in the vehicle of a driver attempting to gain access to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on Monday, prompting military police to shut down the entrance to the base’s All American gate and call for EOD techs.
The man, described by military police as white and in his early 20s, approached the gate in a pickup truck.
An electronic device gave MPs a “cursory positive” indication that there could be explosives in the vehicle.
“It could be a weapon, could be ammunition, we’re not sure what’s in that container,” said Col. Larry Dewey, commander of the 16th Military Police Brigade, in a video posted to the base’s Facebook page. “Until we know what is in the vehicle, and there’s nothing of a safety concern, we shut the gate down.”
Dewey cautioned that the device could have given a false positive and nothing has yet been found.
The vehicle operator didn’t have proper military identification and has no known military affiliation, according to Dewey.
The man is believed to be a U.S. citizen and was offering multiple names to identify himself but failed to present valid forms of ID. The driver offered names that “came back as either erroneous or didn’t match,” Dewey said.
Dewey added that MPs don’t know where on base the man was attempting to go.
Explosive ordnance disposal technicians were looking at the vehicle, and once they determine it’s safe, the gate will reopen, Dewey said, adding that it will hopefully be open sometime Monday afternoon.
Kyle Rempfer was an editor and reporter who has covered combat operations, criminal cases, foreign military assistance and training accidents. Before entering journalism, Kyle served in U.S. Air Force Special Tactics and deployed in 2014 to Paktika Province, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq.
