A suspicious package containing explosive material was discovered in the mail room of the Arizona Supreme Court on Monday — prompting the swift evacuation of the courthouse and other government buildings, according to authorities.
The package, which was discovered around 8 a.m., contained multiple vials, two of which tested positive for an “unspecified homemade explosive substance,” the Arizona Department of Public Safety said in a statement.
Arizona’s State Courts building, Education Department, Attorney General’s Office, and Department of Administration were evacuated as a precaution, the DPS said.
The Supreme Court was not in session when the suspicious package was discovered.
The courthouse remained closed as authorities conducted security sweeps of the building. Officials were still removing the package from the downtown Phoenix building into the late afternoon for further investigation and disposal.
A trained technician clad in protective gear carried the explosive device out of the Arizona Supreme Court and placed it inside a sphere-shaped containment unit. It was later escorted to a safe location by a police motorcade to be detonated, according to AZ Family.
The building was cleared for reentry by 3:30 p.m., and employees will return to work in the building on Tuesday, the outlet reported
“When they notified all staff that we needed to evacuate, I think there was a lot of questions that we didn’t necessarily know about, speaking as a general employee of the Supreme Court. We’re just following directions,” Alberto Rodriguez, a communications director with the Arizona Supreme Court, recalled to the outlet.
“I don’t want to speak on behalf of any of my colleagues, but personally, it’s just one of those things where it doesn’t feel good when it gets to your workplace. You hear about it all the time, but it’s unfortunate that it reached the Arizona Supreme Court, where we had to have this evacuation,” Rodriguez said.
Little information about the package, including where it originated from or whether it was capable of detonating, has been released by authorities.
No injuries were reported.
With Post wires
