SEATTLE == Police arrested a 34-year-old man Saturday afternoon after he made a bomb threat near a federal building.
At 1:14 p.m., Seattle Fire responded to a vehicle fire in the 300 block of Spring Street and requested police respond to order a tow truck. Once on scene, officers contacted a man who said he had set his car on fire intentionally to get the attention of police, and that there was a bomb in his car. Police detained the man and immediately began securing the area. SPD officers also coordinated with federal partners from the FBI, as their local office is in the immediate vicinity of where the vehicle was parked.
Detectives from the Arson and Bomb Squad responded and examined the vehicle, eventually determining there was no bomb.
WATCH: A 34-year-old man is in custody after police said he made a bomb threat outside the FBI headquarters in Seattle.
Blocks of downtown were shut down for hours during the investigation. No bomb.
Police attribute current political climate for hypervigilance.@komonews pic.twitter.com/8f6w4brBaP
— Patrick Quinn (@PatrickQuinnTV) January 17, 2021
BREAKING: @SeattlePD says the bomb scare near the @fbi was a FALSE report. He says there was a car fire and when rescuers arrived, the driver of the truck said he had a bomb inside the truck. Following massive precautionary measures, NO BOMB was found. pic.twitter.com/yv7qGflf93
— Ryan Simms (@RyanKIRO7) January 17, 2021
The suspect was arrested and booked into the King County Jail for investigation of bomb threats.