UPDATED 6:30pm, Feb. 15, 2022 with information from Navy Public Affairs.|
UPDATE 2:30pm, Feb. 15, 2022:
The NASNI Inbound and Outbound gates are open and the shelter in place order on base has been lifted. Normal operations have resumed on NASNI according to the Public Affairs Office.
The commercial vehicle inspection lanes at the NASNI Main gate remain closed and the NASNI ID Lab located in the visitor control center is closed until tomorrow, February 16.
The Main Gate at Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI) was closed at approximately 9 am this morning for security reasons after a car searched at the gate was found to contain what appeared to be bomb-making materials. As a precautionary measure the main inbound gate at 3rd Street and the outbound gate at McCain Boulevard and 4th Street were closed while the situation was investigated.
People were advised to stay away from the Main Gate and also from NASNI Building 335. The Commissary, Exchange and Visitor Center were closed as well, according to the Navy Public Affairs Office.
The First Street gate and Ocean Boulevard Gates remained open for inbound and outbound traffic.
Inter-agencies that responded to the incident included Navy Security from Naval Base Coronado and Naval Base San Diego, along with the Coronado Police Department, San Diego Police Department, ATF, FBI, Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit, Federal Fire, and NCIS.
Citadel Shield-Solid Curtain 2022 is an annual, two-part force protection exercise conducted by Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command and Commander, Navy Installations Command on all CONUS Navy Installation. This training exercise practices force protection with many of the inter-agencies in order to make the integration of military and civilian partners as seamless as possible.
“I would like to thank all the inter-agency partners for helping,” CAPT. Dwight “Woody” Clemons, NBC Commanding Officer, said. “We train to these types of scenarios on a regular basis. A recent example of that is our annual Citadel Shield-Solid Curtain drill.”
As of 1:30 pm the NASNI Outbound Gate (McCain Blvd to 4th Street) had been reopened to vehicles only. The outbound pedestrian gate at the NASNI Main gate remained closed; as did the Inbound Main gate at 3rd Street and Alameda Boulevard.
The situation is under investigation by Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).
This is a developing story.
