March 19 (UPI) — An armed man was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon after a “barricade incident” for several hours outside Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Northern Virginia, about 9 miles from Washington, D.C., authorities said.
The incident in Langley, which is an unincorporated community near McLean, was reported at 10 a.m., according to InsideNova.
Fairfax County, Va., police’s Special Operations Division, including a SWAT team and a bomb squad, supported CIA Police, who are leading the investigation, the agency posted on X. The FBI’s Washington field office also responded.
The man surrendered to investigators around 3:30 p.m. and is in custody after he was barricaded.
Traffic Alert: Dolley Madison Blvd is shut down in both directions between Georgetown Pk and Savile Ln in McLean for a barricade incident at @CIA HQ. Our Special Operations Division is on scene assisting. Please follow police direction. pic.twitter.com/inNeXP7yqi— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) March 19, 2025
Possible charges were not revealed.
ABC reported the unidentified man pointed a gun at his head as local police and security personnel negotiated.
The armed suspect was observed sitting on a bench near the facility’s gate along Route 123 while in possession of a firearm, according to DMV News Live, an independent feed covering D.C., Maryland and Virginia.
Fairfax County Police are assisting CIA Police for a call at Georgetown Pike & Dolly Madison Blvd (CIA HEADQUARTERS) regarding a man walking around with a gun & reportedly firing off shots into the air. SWAT teams & crisis negotiators on the scene in McLean now… pic.twitter.com/1ijFSR9ukp— DMV News Live (@DCNewsLive) March 19, 2025
The man reportedly had fired “several rounds in the air” before Fairfax County officers arrived.
Roads reopened before 4 p.m. after being closed for several hours.
The headquarters grounds cover 258 acres, according to the CIA website.
The six-floor George Bush Center for Intelligence complex, which opened in 1961, can only be accessed by those with authorization or by appointment. Also, only authorized vehicles may access the private road leading to the complex.
There are an estimated 21,575 employees worldwide for the civilian foreign intelligence service, according to The Washington Post. The agency doesn’t list the actual workforce.
A CIA spokesperson confirmed the incident and said “additional details will be made available as appropriate.”
The FBI Washington Field Office said in a statement: “Members of the FBI Washington Field Office’s National Capital Response Squad and other FBI resources have been deployed to assist our law enforcement partners in response to an incident outside CIA Headquarters.”
