Multiple people have fallen ill at a U.S. military base in Maryland following the delivery of a suspicious package, according to officials and numerous media reports.
A building inside Joint Base Andrews was evacuated after a staffer at the base opened the package around 1 pm Thursday, reports CNN.
The building where the package was opened and the connecting building were evacuated, officials were quoted as saying. A cordon was established around the area, and first responders were sent to the scene.
An unknown number of people were rushed to the Malcolm Grove Medical Center on the base for treatment after it was found that the package contained white powder, the broadcaster reported.
“Joint Base Andrews responded to an incident here today after an individual opened a suspicious package,” a Joint Base Andrews spokesperson told The Independent.
“Multiple individuals felt ill after the package was opened,” the spokesperson added. “They were evaluated and treated by JBA medical personnel, determined to be in stable condition, and released yesterday. No one was hospitalized.”
Initial field tests conducted by a HAZMAT team did not detect any hazardous substances, but the investigation remains ongoing. The room in the Air National Guard Readiness Center where the package was opened remained shut early Friday.
The extent of any illness reported by those in proximity to the package was not known.
Joint Base Andrews is one of the military’s most important facilities and is home to the fleet of blue and white presidential aircraft, including Air Force One and the “doomsday” 747 aircraft that can serve as the nation’s airborne nuclear command and control center if needed.
Trump is expected to travel through the base on Friday as he heads to his residence in Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
Investigators are also assessing the political propaganda included in the package, according to the report.
The Independent has reached out to the U.S. Department of Defense for comment.
