The Jefferson County bomb squad detonated a backpack that a woman had claimed was a bomb when she brought it to the main entrance of the Denver Federal Center on Monday, but a spokeswoman confirmed that it contained only papers, cellphone paraphernalia and wires.
Here's the explosion of the bag at Federal Center:
— Denver7 News (@DenverChannel)
That’s according to U.S. General Services Administration spokeswoman Sally Mayberry.
Wires and electronics inside the bag prevented the bomb squad from clearly identifying whether it contained a bomb, which led to the decision to detonate the backpack around 1 p.m., said Jenny Fulton, a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office public information officer.
With a blast, technicians blew the backpack to bits. See the video & more:
— Denver7 News (@DenverChannel)
The woman dropped off the backpack at Gate 1 of the sprawling complex, which remained closed for the rest of the day as evidence was gathered, Mayberry said.
She was arrested, turned over to Lakewood police, and is being questioned, Mayberry said.
between Sixth and Alameda avenues was closed at about 10:30 a.m. and reopened at 1:50 p.m.
The woman apparently carried the backpack from a nearby Lowes store, where she had left her vehicle.
“They didn’t find any suspicious package or paraphernalia in her car,” and Lakewood police have had it towed to an undisclosed location, Mayberry said.
The Federal Center is home to 28 agencies that are housed in 44 federal buildings on a 623-acre campus, according to the General Service Agency.
