U.S. Army base in Texas lifts lockdown after suspicious vehicle found

[November 24, 2014]  By Jim Forsyth
 
 SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - A brief lockdown at a U.S Army base in San Antonio was lifted after officials detained a man on Sunday in what a military spokesman described as a "high-security incident," while adding there was no threat.

One person remained under arrest at Fort Sam Houston after a suspicious vehicle was found in the middle of the post, spokesman Alex Delgado said.

"There were no other passengers in the vehicle and emergency personnel report no other individuals are suspected of being involved," Delgado said.

The base is the home of the U.S. military's medical operations and the center of its operation to curb the spread of Ebola in West Africa. Two special teams have been trained at the base to be deployed to hospitals fighting the viral disease.

Delgado said the driver of the car would remain in custody while base officials investigated. The spokesman said he was unaware what prompted officials to view the vehicle as suspicious. No-one was injured during the incident, he added.

The lockdown, which had stopped traffic from entering the base, was lifted at around 9 p.m. (CST), about an hour after it was ordered, and the base resumed normal operations, Delgado said. Fort Sam Houston is a highly secure facility with guards posted at all vehicle entrances.

(Editing by Frank McGurty, Cynthia Osterman, Peter Cooney, and Simon Cameron-Moore)

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