A person has been shot outside the National Security Agency’s Maryland headquarters.
The incident happened outside the agency’s Fort Meade base at around 7.30am.
Local radio station WBAL first reported that three people had been struck by bullets. That number decreased as investigators worked through the morning and so far only one casualty has been confirmed.
One male suspect is in custody. They are believed to have used a black SUV to plow into the gates outside the headquarters before opening fire.
A person has been shot outside the NSA headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland, where a male suspect was arrested after crashing this black SUV into the barriers outside
The vehicle was at the end of a dead-end lane marked by concrete NSA-stamped barricade blocks on one side and a chain-link fence on the other, near a toll-booth-style entrance gate, the CBS video showed.
Local fire and police departments said on Twitter they were responding to a possible shooting incident outside the agency’s campus in Fort Meade.
A spokesman at Fort Meade, about 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Washington, said he could not confirm that a shooting has occurred or that a vehicle was at the gate.
‘NSA police and local law enforcement are addressing an incident that took place this morning at one of NSA’s security vehicle entry gates.
‘The situation is under control and there’s no ongoing security or safety threat,’ an NSA spokesman said.
He did confirm that one person had been injured and transported, although he did not say where the person had been transported to.
‘He also confirmed that Highway 32 around Fort Meade has been closed
The male suspect was arrested at the scene. Above, police officers search the car’s contents, some of which had spilled out onto the street
A White House spokeswoman said President Donald Trump had been briefed on the incident.
‘Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone that has been affected. We will continue to provide updates as they become available,’ the White House said in a statement.
The incident bears similarities to a 2015 attempted attack by two men who dressed up as women and drove their sports utility car through the gate.
One of them was killed by police at the scene who shot at the car when they failed to stop.
The NSA’s headquarters is in Fort Meade, Maryland, around seven miles from the military base