Pentagon lifts lockdown after multiple gunshots fired near Metro bus station
August 4, 2021, 2:37 am

Pentagon lifts lockdown after multiple gunshots fired near Metro bus station

Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, the United States.

According to the Xinhua, the Pentagon lifted the lockdown roughly an hour and a half after multiple gunshots were fired near the Metro bus platform outside the building on Tuesday morning.

The Pentagon Force Protection Agency, which sent out a lockdown alert following the "shooting event," said at the noon time that the facility reopened and the "scene of the incident is secure" though remains an active crime scene.

The gunman was shot by a Pentagon police officer and did not get inside the Pentagon building, the agency's official told POLITICO. One other officer was injured and sent to hospital.

Photo taken on Aug. 3, 2021 shows the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, the United States. The Pentagon lifted the lockdown roughly an hour and a half after multiple gunshots were fired near the Metro bus platform outside the building on Tuesday morning. The Pentagon Force Protection Agency, which sent out a lockdown alert following the "shooting event," said at the noon time that the facility reopened and the "scene of the incident is secure" though remains an active crime scene. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

"The Pentagon has lifted the lock down and has reopened," the agency said on Twitter. "We request that everyone stay away from the Metro rail entrance and bus platform area."

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority said trains and busses were bypassing their stops at the transit center due to the investigation.

The Metro bus platform, a major entrance to the Pentagon, is used by multiple bus lines in the area every day. It was closed in March 2020 after a man was fatally stabbed on the platform and reopened hours afterwards.

Source: xinhua
Image source: xinhua

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.