World News | US Air Base in Italy Locked Down for Hours over Security Alarm

Rome, Feb 26 (AP) A US air base in Italy went on lockdown Wednesday for several hours after security forces received word of a possible car bomb targeting the facility, though officials later determined there was no threat.

Authorities evacuated a gate at the Naval Air Station Sigonella and locked down the facilities there for several hours as they investigated, the US Navy said in a statement.

Also Read | What Is Pop-Up SMS Scam? As NAB Issues Warning for Its Customers, Know All About New Fraud That Makes 'Phone Unusable Till Message Dismissed or Saved'.

Italian police and bomb squad members “inspected the package and determined it was not a threat,” a US military statement from the base said.

“We are grateful to our Navy Security Force personnel for their quick response,” the statement said.

Also Read | Pope Francis' Condition Remains Critical but Stable As He Continues Receiving Treatment for Double Pneumonia, Says Vatican.

US Navy Lt. Andrea Perez, a spokesperson at the base, told The Associated Press there were “no injuries” in the incident.

An Italian defence official said that it was a “false alarm that triggered all the due procedures.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

NAS Sigonella is outside of Catania on the island of Sicily. It's on a base for the Italian Air Force and provides command and control for US and NATO forces, as well as a strategic location on the Mediterrean Sea for them to deploy across Europe, Africa and Asia.

NAS Sigonella hosts US Navy P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft, as well as MQ-4C Triton drones. US Space Force personnel who work on identifying possible missile threats in the region are also based there. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)