Vehicle With Suspected Bomb-Making Material Stopped at San Diego Naval Base

A vehicle was stopped outside of a San Diego naval station on Tuesday on suspicion that it contained bomb-making material, leading to one individual being taken into custody.

The vehicle was stopped at approximately 9 a.m. outside the front gate of Naval Air Station North Island, Naval Base Coronado Public Affairs Officer Kevin Dixon told Newsweek. An individual was taken into Naval Criminal Investigative Services custody in connection to the incident, Dixon added.

Dixon said the vehicle triggered security, and the front gate was closed to conduct an investigation of the individual and his vehicle. The man was a sailor stationed at Naval Air Station North Island, but Dixon was unable to confirm whether the material was actually bomb-making material, as the material is still under investigation.

"We just know that when security saw it, it was something that triggered their attention, and then they took action from there," Dixon said.

The base's main gate on 3rd Street and outbound gate on McCain Boulevard were closed, with people being told to stay away from the main gate and one of the base's buildings in a Facebook post on the Naval Base Coronado page. The commissary, exchange and visitor center were also shut down.

Some buildings near the main gate were also evacuated, but there was no lockdown, Dixon said.

Naval Base Coronado announced that all gates were open and a shelter-in-place order had been lifted at approximately 2:00 p.m. local time. Naval Air Station North Island's commercial vehicle inspection and the ID lab in the visitor control center remain closed. The ID lab will be closed until Wednesday.

The base's main entrance was closed for investigation of a potential vehicle bomb at least twice in recent years, according to the Times of San Diego.

A possibly suspicious device attached to a truck entering the base on January 7, 2020, resulted in an hourlong closure of the main gate, the Times reported. The object was a box with a wire protruding from it on the undercarriage of the vehicle noticed by an inspector at the base, Dixon said at the time. It was determined to be part of the part of the truck's operating system.

The other closure occurred on April 20, 2017, according to the Times of San Diego. The main gate was closed for almost seven hours, resulting in heavy traffic on surrounding streets. A bomb squad investigated and found no potential threat.

Update 02/15/22 6:10 p.m. ET: This story was updated to include background information and comment from Naval Base Coronado Public Affairs Officer Kevin Dixon.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

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