Security breach at Fort Meade NSA gate leaves 3 people injured, car of 3 men in custody
FORT MEADE, Md. - The FBI says three men in an SUV breached a gate that leads into the National Security Agency complex at Fort Meade on Wednesday morning.
Three people are in custody and three people were injured, including two people who were in the area at the time. Officials say the incident is isolated and there is no connection to terrorism.
According to a statement from Fort Meade officials, the incident began after a vehicle attempted to enter NSA's secure campus near one of the military installation's checkpoints off of Route 32 at Canine Road at around 7 a.m. Officers opened fire, but no one was shot.
The driver, as well as an NSA police officer were both injured. There was also a civilian who was injured.
The two other men who were in the car have been detained.
The FBI said repeatedly during a press briefing that they are not calling this terrorism but an isolated incident. Officials could not answer questions about those inside the car and why it slammed into the barrier.
Aerial images from SkyFOX show a rented black SUV with heavy body damage that crashed into white security barriers near the gate. The force of the crash pushed one of the security barriers into a fence. Bullet holes could be seen in the windshield of the SUV and the vehicle's airbags had deployed.
White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said President Donald Trump had been "briefed on the shooting at Ft. Meade," and the White House offered thoughts and prayers with those who have been affected. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has taken over the investigation at this time.
Route 32 near the base was closed in both directions for about an hour Wednesday morning but has since reopened. School buses traveling in the area may experience delays.
In 2015, two men dressed as women tried to ram a stolen car through the gate of the NSA headquarters at Fort Meade. One of the two was killed when guards opened fire and the other was injured.