Two heavily armed individuals were held at a key U.S. Air Force base in Florida early Tuesday after they tried to enter the installation without authorization, a spokeswoman said.
The pair was stopped at MacDill Air Force Base, the site of the headquarters of U.S. Central Command, which oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Senior Airman Katherine Holt.
The installation is also home to U.S. Special Operations Command.
They were unable to show proper identification and base personnel cordoned off the alleged intruders’ sport utility vehicle, removing weapons, ammunition and military-style gear from the car.
Fire department and explosive ordnance disposal units were dispatched to the scene but found no explosives, Holt said.
The base’s Bayshore Gate, where the individuals made their attempted entry, remained closed, but the rest of MacDill, including another gate, were "operating normally," the spokeswoman added. The incident is still under investigation.
There were differing accounts of the pair in U.S. media, with some outlets reporting they were a man and a woman. CNN said they were questioned early Tuesday.
On May 19, an off-duty FBI agent shot and killed an army veteran after a confrontation and chase at the base. The veteran, whom Holt described as "disgruntled," had been visiting the base when the altercation broke out and the off-duty agent reportedly shot him in self-defense.