In brief
A suspicious package containing an unidentified white powder was opened at Joint Base Andrews, leading to multiple people falling ill. The facility, which serves as the base for Air Force One, was evacuated as a precaution. Medical teams assessed those affected, all of whom are reported to be in stable condition. Initial tests showed no immediate hazards, and authorities are conducting further investigations into potential political content associated with the package.
Multiple people have fallen ill after opening a suspicious package delivered to the base of operations for Air Force One.
A spokesperson for Joint Base Andrews (JBA) in Maryland, near the US capital, Washington DC, said the building the package was opened in was evacuated and those taken ill were found to be in a stable condition by medical staff.
The package contained an unidentified white powder, CNN reports, citing unnamed sources familiar with an investigation into the incident.
The air base houses the US presidential plane and its support craft, and is where the president usually departs on trips.
The JBA spokesperson said the building in which the package was opened and a connecting building were evacuated as a precaution and a cordon established around the area.
They added: First responders were dispatched to the scene, determined there were no immediate threats, and normal operations have resumed. An investigation is currently ongoing.
Initial tests by a Hazmat team did not detect anything hazardous, according to CNN.
It reports that investigators are also assessing political propaganda that was included in the package.
It is unclear the extent or the nature of the illness suffered by those near the package when it was opened.
