NAS Pensacola gates reopen following bomb threat; suspect in custody
Naval Air Station Pensacola has reopened its gates after receiving a bomb threat Wednesday morning.
According to an NAS Pensacola Facebook post, the threat was made by someone onboard the base around 9:35 a.m.
"Naval Security Forces, in coordination with local law enforcement partners, executed pre-planned responses and are in the process of clearing the affected areas," the post said. "No one was injured and the individual suspected of making the threat is in custody."
In a subsequent Facebook post at 11:46 a.m., NAS Pensacola announced both gates of the base had reopened. A spokesperson for the base declined to provide any additional information regarding the incident.
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"The security and safety of service members, civilian employees and visitors to Naval Air Station Pensacola remains our top priority," said NAS Pensacola Commanding Officer Capt. Terry Shashaty in a release. "The professionalism of our Naval Security Forces is unparalleled and the partnership we share with local law enforcement is critical in ensuring the safety of both the installation and surrounding communities."
This threat comes on the 4th anniversary of the terrorist attack carried out by a Saudi Royal Air Force 2nd Lt. who shot and killed three U.S. Navy personnel on Dec. 6, 2019.
Naval Aircrewman 3rd Class Mohammed Sameh Haitham, 19; Naval Aircrewman 3rd Class Cameron Scott Walters, 21; and Ensign Joshua Kaleb Watson, 23, were killed during the attack, and eight others were wounded.
The gunman was killed by an Escambia County Sheriff's Office deputy responding to the scene.
ECSO spokesperson Sgt. Melony Peterson told the News Journal that getting a bomb threat on the anniversary of the shooting is "not shocking."
"This incident unfortunately occurred on the fourth anniversary of the shooting here, but these two incidents are unrelated," Shashaty said. "Our Naval Security Forces personnel are highly trained and responded to the suspected incident quickly and efficiently."
The month after the attack, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that gunman's attack was motivated by extremist Islamic ideology and labeled the attack as an act of terrorism.
The Navy's investigation into the events was completed the following month in February and found that the gunman was self-radicalized while in the U.S. amidst a "toxic" training environment.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: NAS Pensacola bomb threat causes lockdown
