There was a leak of hazardous material at the Pentagon; staff were evacuated
Several floors and corridors at the U.S. Department of Defense headquarters in Arlington have been cordoned off due to an “incident involving hazardous materials.”
According to people familiar with the situation, corridors four through seven on floors two through five have been cordoned off at the Pentagon complex. Staff have been evacuated from the area. Another source reported that police officers inside the building are wearing gas masks and full chemical protection suits.
A statement released by the Pentagon’s security service said that an “air quality issue” had been detected and that further testing was required, which could take one to two hours.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed that the building’s internal systems had detected an air quality issue.
“The Department is following standard safety protocols, including an order to remain in place within the affected area,” Parnell said.
A statement from the Arlington Fire and Rescue Department indicates that a hazardous materials team has been deployed to the Pentagon and is assisting Pentagon officials in responding to an incident involving a potentially hazardous substance.
CNN reported this, citing three sources.
As a reminder, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has updated its assessment of counterintelligence risks, drawing attention to a possible increase in espionage activity by Israel.
