Early Friday morning roads around the Pentagon were closed due to a strange vehicle found near the Pentagon. A 2011 red Nissan was found outside of Washington, D.C., Park Police spokesman Sgt. David Schlosser said, according to CBS News.
When police came across a man in the closed Arlington National Cemetery, an investigation began and numerous roads were closed near the Pentagon, causing traffic chaos.
CBS reports the man has been identified as Lance Cpl. Yonathan Melaku of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.
Melaku is believed to be in his 20s and is believed to have been acting alone, Washington Post reports.
Police found his backpack full of spent 9 mm shell casings and three cans of black spray paint. They also found an amount of ammonium nitrate, a chemical that could be used to make bombs. He was also carrying a notebook that contained the phrases, “al Qaeda,” “Taliban rules” and “Mujahid defeated croatian forces,” CBS News adds. But the reserviis not thought to have been involved in a terrorist act or plot.
This is the second Pentagon-related incident this week. A motorist found with a gun and a suspicious package near the Pentagon was taken into custody, Associated Press reports.
