Washington Monument Evacuated

October 7, 2005 -- Bomb threat was called in; search turns up nothing

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Washington Monument was closed for about two hours Friday after a bomb threat was called in to local police. A search turned up nothing suspicious.

U.S. Park Police Sgt. Scott Fear said the call came in at 2:24 p.m. EDT and the monument was evacuated a short time later. Bomb-sniffing dogs were called in and two blocks between Constitution and Independence avenues were closed off.

The monument reopened at about 4:15 p.m. after nothing was found, Fear said.

A law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because other agencies were handling the case, said the credibility of the threat was low but officials did not want to take any chances.

The Washington Monument, which was built in the 1800s and dedicated on Feb. 21, 1885, rises 555 feet over the National Mall. It reopened to the public last spring after undergoing a seven-month, $15 million security overhaul that included vehicle barriers and a new lighting system.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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