CAMP LEJEUNE, North Carolina — Authorities checked part of North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune on Thursday morning because of bomb threats, though a Marine Corps spokesman said the threats appeared to be unsubstantiated. Earlier, a post on the base’s Facebook page urged all personnel to stay away from “the main Exchange/Commissary” at the base due to “an incident in the area.”
This came after a bomb threat was called in around 7:30 a.m. mentioning a Starbucks on Camp Lejeune’s grounds, base spokeswoman Col. Anita Best told CNN. Another, similar threat — this one targeting a Dunkin’ Donuts nearby — came in about half an hour later.
As of 9:30 a.m., Best said no one had been arrested and no signs were found of any explosive device. Still, bomb-sniffing dogs were at the scene as a precaution.
An “all clear” was given about an hour later, according to Best.
Capt. Dominic Pitrone, a U.S. Marine spokesman at the Pentagon, characterized the threats as “unsubstantiated.”
The site of several major Marine Corps commands and one Navy command, Camp Lejeune is home to about 170,000 active-duty military personnel, their dependents, retired Marines and civilian employees, according to its website. It’s set on some 156,000 acres, including 11 miles of beach, in eastern North Carolina.
“Today, as in the past, Camp Lejeune’s mission remains the same — to maintain combat-ready units for expeditionary deployment,” the website states.
