US Naval facility in Maryland given 'all clear' after bomb threat

All personnel at the Naval Support Activity Bethesda facility were ordered to shelter in place after the base received an anonymous phone call saying there was a bomb at or near the site.

US President Joe Biden lands aboard the Marine One presidential helicopter as he arrives at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to be with first lady Jill Biden as she undergoes a medical procedure on her foot in Bethesda, Maryland, US, July 29, 2021. (photo credit: REUTERS/EVELYN HOCKSTEIN)
US President Joe Biden lands aboard the Marine One presidential helicopter as he arrives at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to be with first lady Jill Biden as she undergoes a medical procedure on her foot in Bethesda, Maryland, US, July 29, 2021.
(photo credit: REUTERS/EVELYN HOCKSTEIN)

A US Navy facility in Maryland that houses the famed Walter Reed National Military Medical Center was given the "all clear" on Wednesday after being locked down for several hours due to a bomb threat, the base said on Twitter.

All personnel at the Naval Support Activity Bethesda facility were ordered to shelter in place after the base received an anonymous phone call around 8:45 a.m. EDT (1245 GMT) saying there was a bomb at or near the site, the base said.

Shortly after 1 p.m. EDT, the shelter-in-place order was lifted and a number of gates on the facility had been opened.

The base earlier said it was investigating a potential active shooter, but later said there were no indications of one.

In addition to treating members of the armed services, the Walter Reed medical facility is also used by presidents and other senior government officials.

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in 2011. (credit: UNITED STATES ARMY/PUBLIC DOMAIN/VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in 2011. (credit: UNITED STATES ARMY/PUBLIC DOMAIN/VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)

Last year, then-President Donald Trump spent several days at a special suite at Walter Reed being treated for COVID-19.