FBI: No Explosives Found in Suspicious Vehicle
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An apparent misunderstanding turned into fears of a bomb threat and prompted the evacuation and lockdown of several buildings in downtown on Friday afternoon after a man allegedly walked into the Richard Bolling Federal Building and asked if he was on the FBI watch list.
A Kansas City Missouri Police Department bomb-disposal robot was seen examining a car in the parking lot of the nearby Fletcher Daniels State Office Building across the street from the federal building.
The FBI on Friday afternoon confirmed that there was no explosives found in the vehicle, and that the public was not in any danger. An FBI spokesperson says that a bomb-sniffing dog hit on a suspicious package in the vehicle, but was unable to elaborate on the nature of the package.
According to witnesses at the scene, a man parked the light-colored sedan in a disabled parking space around noon, then walked into a back door of the federal building and wanted to know if he was on a federal terror watch list.
That question raised some red flags and caused a chain reaction of caution.
The scare led to the evacuation of the Fletcher Daniels State Office Building, and authorities have closed the federal building for the day as a precaution. In addition, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a temporary flight restriction for the airspace above downtown Kansas City.
Police closed the exit from Interstate 70 to 13th Street and have blocked off 12th and 13th streets between Cherry and Holmes.
Exits from I-70 on the east side of the loop into downtown are now closed. In addition, authorities have closed off the air space immediately above the suspicious vehicle.
The vehicle being searched by the KCPD Bomb Squad is registered to a 57-year-old Grain Valley man. There is no confirmation from authorities if he is the man in custody for this incident, or if he has anything to do with the incident.
Bridget Patton with the FBI says this is not a bomb threat, but a report of a suspicious package.
Bridget Patton with the FBI clarifies: A bomb-sniffing dog hit on the vehicle, not a package inside the car.
Authorities said a bomb-sniffing dog hit on a suspicious package in a vehicle that was parked near the State Office Building.
A media staging center is being set up in front of City Hall. We are gathering info as quickly as we can.
Some state office employees are being moved to the Sprint Center. Some remain inside the building.
Bomb threat downtown. 13th St. exit from I70 closed. 12th & 13th, Cherry to Holmes closed.—
Kansas City Police (@kcpolice) September 14, 2012
The vehicle is registered to 57-year-old Wahed Moharam of Grain Valley. There is no word if he is the man now in custody.