Pentagon

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

School’s Out for Summer — Today is the last day of school for elementary students in Arlington. High school students had their last day on Wednesday and middle school students had their last day on Thursday. [YouTube]

Man Charged With Pentagon Shootings — Alexandria resident Yonathan Melaku, 22, has been charged with destruction of property and firearm violations in five separate shootings at Northern Virginia military installations last year. Melaku was arrested in Arlington National Cemetery last Friday, authorities say, with a backpack containing a ammonium nitrate, a key component in certain explosives, and a notebook containing referencing Al Qaeda and jihad. Sources tell Fox News that Melaku was “self-radicalized through the internet,” but there’s “no indication he was planning to harm individuals.” [FBI, Fox News]

‘Rabbit’ Coming to Clarendon in July — The new salad-and-cupcakes store ‘Rabbit,’ from the father-son pair behind Tangysweet and Red Velvet Cupcakery, is expected to open in late July. Rabbit’s location in Clarendon is “the perfect place,” says co-owner Aaron Gordon. The 50-seat restaurant will also serve wine, beer and sandwiches. [Washington Post]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Pentagon Suspect Suspected in Shootings — The man whose arrest prompted authorities to shut down Washington Boulevard during the Friday morning rush hour is now being investigated for a possible connection to a mysterious series of incidents of shots fired at the Pentagon and various Northern Virginia sites linked to the Marine Corps. Yonathan Melaku, a 22-year-old Marine reservist, is currently being held at a Loudoun County jail. [Inside Nova]

Arlington Cabbies Stage Sit-In — Arlington taxi drivers surprised county officials by packing into a Arlington County office yesterday in protest of regulations that they say give the owners of taxi companies too much control over drivers. [Washington Examiner]

Pike ‘Bike Boulevards’ Generate Opposition — Some residents are upset about what they see as a lack of advanced notice regarding Arlington’s plan to build ‘bike boulevards’ on two streets that run parallel to Columbia Pike. Also: more details on how the bike boulevards would work. [Greater Greater Washington]

Bishop O’Connell Teacher Missing — A popular English teacher at Bishop O’Connell High School has gone missing. Tom Duesterhaus was last seen on Friday in Virginia Beach. [Patch]

Photo courtesy James Mahony

BREAKING NEWS — Roads Closed Near Pentagon

By ARLnow.com

Update at 11:55 a.m. — News outlets have identified the man who was taken into custody as Yonathan Melaku of Alexandria. Melaku is a Marine Corps reservist, according to Fox News.

Update at 11:00 a.m. — The scene has been cleared and all roads around the Pentagon have reopened.

(Updated at 10:55 a.m.) A man has been taken into custody after he fled from police who observed him in Arlington National Cemetery around 1:30 a.m., the FBI said this morning.

The man, who is in his 20s, had a backpack containing materials that police found suspicious, according to Brenda Heck of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. Those materials were found in bags within the backpack, but have since been determined to be non-explosive. Heck says authorities are still performing tests on the materials.

A police interview of the man led officers to a suspicious vehicle near the Pentagon. A search by the Arlington County bomb squad revealed nothing suspicious in the vehicle (pictured above, being towed from the scene), Heck said. She added that no suspicious ‘devices’ have been found.

Authorities are now saying that they believe the man “acted alone,” despite earlier reports that one or two people were being sought by police. Police are still not confirming details about the suspect — reported to be a naturalized U.S. citizen from Ethiopia — except to say that he was uncooperative with investigators.

Washington Boulevard is still closed between Columbia Pike and Route 110. Route 110, which was closed earlier this morning, has reopened. Arlington National Cemetery was closed this morning while law enforcement agencies conducted their investigation but has also since reopened.

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Police Investigate Suspicious Package Near Pentagon

By ARLnow.com

Update at 2:25 p.m. — Charges have been filed against a North Carolina man.

Willie Amaz Braddy, 41, of Rocky Mount, N.C., was taken into state police custody and charged with reckless driving and for concealing a weapon without a valid permit. The incident remains under investigation.

Update at 6:30 a.m. — Virginia State Police have issued the following statement about last night’s incident.

At 8:30 p.m., a Virginia State Police trooper observed a vehicle backing up the southbound I-395 ramp to Route 27 in Arlington County Monday (June 12, 2011). The trooper stopped the vehicle on the ramp. During the course of the traffic stop, a handgun was discovered inside the vehicle, as well as a suspicious-looking package on the front passenger seat.

Virginia State Police bomb technicians along with the Arlington County Fire Department responded to the scene to investigate the suspicious package Shortly before midnight, it was determined that the vehicle contained no explosive or suspicious device.

The driver has been taken into state police custody and charges are pending at this time. The investigation continues. The I-395 ramp will be re-opened shortly.

Update at 11:50 p.m. — The scene has been cleared and the road is being reopened.

Earlier: Authorities are investigating a suspicious package in a vehicle on Washington Boulevard, near the Pentagon.

Police have shut down both directions of Washington Boulevard between Route 110 and the far eastern end of Columbia Pike. Initial reports suggest a pickup truck had a suspicious item inside on the front seat.

“Virginia State Police are currently investigating a suspicious package discovered inside a vehicle stopped on the ramp from I-395 south to Route 27 in Arlington County,” Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said in a statement just before 11:00 p.m. “The investigation resulted from a traffic stop made by a Trooper at approximately 8:30 p.m. Monday.”

At one point a traffic camera showed what appeared to be a bomb squad robot operating at the scene.

H/t to John Antonelli

 

At 8:30 p.m., a Virginia State Police trooper observed a vehicle backing up the southbound I-395 ramp to Route 27 in Arlington County Monday (June 12, 2011). The trooper stopped the vehicle on the ramp. During the course of the traffic stop, a handgun was discovered inside the vehicle, as well as a suspicous-looking package on the front passenger seat.
Virginia State Police bomb technicians along with the Arlington County Fire Department responded to the scene to investigate the suspicious package Shortly before midnight, it was determined that the vehicle contained no explosive or suspicious device.
The driver has been taken into state police custody and charges are pending at this time. The investigation continues. The I-395 ramp will be re-opened shortly.

 

 

 

Army Fatigues Given Marching Orders at Pentagon

By ARLnow.com

You’ll be seeing fewer battle fatigues on the Metro later this year.

The Army — which will be celebrating its 236th birthday tomorrow — has just announced an impending policy change for personnel who work at the Pentagon. Starting as early as October, soldiers assigned to the Pentagon will be asked to wear the more formal Army service uniform instead of the camouflaged Army combat uniform (ACU).

“Our perspective is that this is the corporate part of the Army,” Sergeant Major of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III told the Army News Service. “The business-part of the Army is done in the Pentagon, and as a professional there are certain standards of attire associated with certain activities. For the business aspect of the Army, it is the Army service uniform.”

The exact implementation date has yet to be announced.

Military photo by Staff Sgt. Matthew Clifton

Road Closures Planned for Rolling Thunder

By ARLnow.com

Rolling Thunder is back this year and several road closures are planned as a result.

The noisy annual Memorial Day weekend tradition will kick off on Friday, when motorcyclists from around the country will start flocking to the D.C. area to boost awareness of American prisoners of war and service members who went missing in action.

The Rolling Thunder headquarters hotel is the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, so South Arlington residents who live near Route 1, Route 110 and I-395 should expect to hear a lot of revving engines over the weekend.

As part of the rally, several roads will be closed near the Pentagon on Sunday. Washington Boulevard will be closed from I-395 to the Memorial Bridge from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. In addition, Arlington National Cemetery will only be accessible from the southbound GW Parkway or northbound Route 110.

Authorities are warning drivers in Northern Virginia to expect “large numbers of motorcyclists” and possible traffic delays on Sunday. The Rolling Thunder festivities will wrap up Sunday evening.

Pentagon Police Vigilant Day and Night

By ARLnow.com

As the country celebrates Osama bin Laden’s demise, Pentagon police officers are remaining ever-vigilant in their mission of protecting Department of Defense workers.

The Pentagon Force Protection Agency protects DoD workers at the Pentagon and at other leased and owned installations in the Washington area. An article published today by the American Forces Press Service details the work of the PFPA officers who work the night shift at the Pentagon.

The article discusses how officers monitor the various sensors and cameras around the 280-acre Pentagon reservation. Among the sensors present inside and outside the complex are sensors that monitor for potential chemical, biological and radiological threat.

The article also mentions that the PFPA monitors Federal Aviation Administration communications “so we can listen to aircraft that are coming our way.”

The ability to monitor incoming aircraft communications did not exist before the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the article says.

Quiet Remembrance at Pentagon Memorial

By ARLnow.com

In contrast to the noisy, jubilant celebration at the White House, the scene at the Pentagon Memorial last night was one of quiet remembrance.

About two dozen visitors trickled in to the memorial following the announcement that Osama bin Laden had been killed by American forces in Pakistan. As visitors strolled the dimly-lit grounds, only the peaceful sound of bubbling water could be heard. The sound came from small pools below each of the memorial’s 184 benches, which represent the 184 people killed during the bin Laden-orchestrated attack on the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

Two visitors said they came to the Pentagon seeking a deeper connection to the evening’s news.

“The celebrations over at the White House didn’t fully capture the emotions of the night,” said Crystal Adams, of the District. Fellow District resident Brian Chiglinsky agreed.

“It felt like this was the place for a more solemn remembrance about the importance of tonight and what this past decade has meant to our generation,” he said.

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Crystal City Office Building Placed on Lockdown

By ARLnow.com

There were some tense moments in Crystal City this morning as Arlington County and Pentagon Police surrounded an office building after receiving a false report of a man with a gun.

Police were originally dispatched to the scene for a report of an intoxicated military service member who was said to be brandishing a handgun in an office on the 2200 block of South Clark Street. One floor of the building was evacuated, employees sheltered in place on other floors and elevators were locked down.

One tipster said their office was told there was a “gunman” on the 9th floor of the Crystal Plaza 6 office building, and that employees were “safe” and “awaiting instructions from building security.”

Eventually, it was determined that the incident was not as serious as reported, and may have actually happened over the weekend. A suspect was reported to be in custody, but it’s not clear when he or she was arrested.

Update at 9:00 p.m. –Federal Protective Service spokesman Chris Ortman issued the following statement tonight:

This morning, Federal Protective Service (FPS) officers responded along with Arlington County Police, Pentagon Security, and Defense Protective Service, to a report filed today of an incident that took place on Friday, April 8, involving an armed, intoxicated individual at Crystal City Plaza 6, 2221 S. Clark Street, Arlington, Va. The individual was found and the weapon was confiscated without incident. An investigation is ongoing and more details will be shared when they are available.

Anti-War Demonstration Planned at Pentagon Today

By ARLnow.com

A group called the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance is organizing an anti-war rally at the Pentagon at noon today.

Dubbed “Operation DISARMageddon,” participants are planning to demonstrate against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the military’s use of fossil fuels. Organizers aren’t saying exactly where and how they’re planning to protest, except that it will be “nonviolent civil resistance” and it will happen “around noon.”

“The U.S. military is the entity most responsible for destabilizing our environment,” a call to action on the group’s web site says. “There are innumerable reasons for this, including these examples: the exorbitant use of fossil fuels, depleted uranium weapons, worldwide transport of weapons and personnel, unlimited air travel, engagement in war and the possession, upkeep and transport of nuclear weapons.”

The call to action continues: “U.S. drone bombs continue to kill innocent people in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other places around the world. Our military spending is out of control while we have no money to meet basic human needs here in the U.S. Torture and illegal indefinite detentions continue in Guantanamo, Bagram, and other places around the world… In the spirit and discipline of Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day, and others, and for the sake of humanity, for the sake of peace and justice, and for the sake of Mother Earth we must act now.”

Other groups said to be participating in the protest include Code Pink, Veterans for Peace, Witness Against Torture and WarIsACrime.org.

Road Closed After Person Struck by Construction Vehicle

By ARLnow.com

Police are shutting down southbound Route 110 at the exit for Route 27, near the Pentagon, for a report of a person struck by a construction vehicle.

The person was initially reported to be trapped under a backhoe, but fire fighters on the scene have advised that the victim is in fact not trapped.

Update at 2:05 p.m. — Police are in the process of opening one southbound lane. The victim’s injuries are said to be non-life-threatening.

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