Authorities in Washington DC confirmed that the Republican National Committee headquarters was locked down on Wednesday morning after a suspicious package was found at the site.
NBC’s Dasha Burns was one of the first to report the troubling news.
DEVELOPING: RNC HQ in DC is under lockdown until further notice. Hazmat team is on site sources tell me.
— Dasha Burns (@DashaBurns) May 22, 2024
Fox News reported that an initial alert about the incident was made shortly after 8:30 a.m. At the time, communications had suggested that a white powder had been discovered.
BREAKING: RNC HQ in Washington DC on lockdown, hazmat on scene pic.twitter.com/Mx1WJkWm2p
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) May 22, 2024
A later update revealed that the package contained vials of blood. According to the most recent reports, the lockdown order has been lifted.
The New York Post reported that the circumstances leading to the discovery of the package remain unclear. According to one source, “vials of blood were sent in a package and something broke open.”
From Daily Wire:
“The package was just cleared by our Hazardous Incident Response Division,” the U.S. Capitol Police said. “It contained two vials of blood. The source of the package and its contents will be further investigated.”
At 8:29 a.m. local time, NBC News correspondent Dasha Burns broke the news in a post to X, saying that the RNC’s building went under lockdown “until further notice” and that sources had told her a hazmat team was on site.
There have not been reports of any injuries at this point.
Journalists on the scene captured footage of the perimeter, showing police officers guarding access to the RNC’s main entrance.
🚨 BREAKING: RNC HQ is under lockdown due to a suspicious substance on site.
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) May 22, 2024
pic.twitter.com/CHtVjOSKAZ
In addition to the RNC being locked down, journalist Laura Loomer observed first responder vehicles parked outside the Rayburn and Cannon House office buildings.
In addition to RNC HQ being on lockdown,
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) May 22, 2024
Fire and EMS are also Currently parked outside of the Cannon and Rayburn office buildings. https://t.co/zWJec9CHCR pic.twitter.com/w0DZzRiQXU
