Washington, DC: Ukrainian Embassy Evacuated and Key Bridge Closed Over Suspicious Object, Then Cleared

A suspicious object found outside the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington on Friday morning, October 23, forced an evacuation of the embassy and shut the Francis Scott Key Bridge in both directions during the morning commute, before law enforcement inspected the item and said it posed no threat.

An object at the consular entrance

The object was discovered at about 8:40 a.m. near the entrance to the embassy's consular section, according to Ukraine's Foreign Ministry. A Secret Service spokesperson said the suspicious item was found at around 8:40 a.m., prompting a response from the agency, the Metropolitan Police Department and others.

Second District officers responded to assist the U.S. Secret Service in the 3300 block of M Street, Northwest, for the report of a suspicious package, an MPD official told the Washington Examiner. Police responded around 8:42 a.m., and the department's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit was deployed to assist, FOX 5 DC reported.

The discovery prompted a temporary evacuation of embassy staff and visitors while law enforcement and bomb technicians inspected the item. Ukrainian charge d'affaires Denys Sienik told the New York Post that the embassy was evacuated and a bomb squad had been called after the suspicious object was found outside.

A commuter bridge closed at rush hour

The authorities, out of an abundance of caution, closed several roads and the Key Bridge, the Secret Service spokesperson said. The 3300 block of M Street, NW and Wisconsin Avenue, NW between M Street and O Street, NW were closed, according to DC Police Traffic.

At 9:13 a.m., DC police issued a traffic alert warning that the bridge was closed in both directions. By 9:59 a.m., authorities had also listed Wisconsin Avenue NW among the closures, the Post reported.

The closures snarled traffic around Georgetown, where the embassy sits near the Francis Scott Key Bridge, a major route connecting Northwest DC with Rosslyn, Virginia, across the Potomac River. The shutdown disrupted a key commuter crossing between Washington and Northern Virginia during the morning commute.

Cleared, reopened, and still under investigation

Following an inspection, U.S. law enforcement reported that the object discovered near the embassy poses no threat, and the area around the diplomatic mission has been reopened, Sienik said in a later update. Consular services will resume shortly, he added.

The embassy said on Friday that it was resuming operations after a brief disruption caused by the discovery of the suspicious object, which U.S. law enforcement examined and determined was non-threatening, Reuters reported. The area around the mission had reopened after authorities gave the all-clear.

The Secret Service said the investigation is ongoing and additional details will be forthcoming. The scare came while the United States, Ukraine and Russia remain engaged in negotiations aimed at winding down Moscow's more than four-year war against Ukraine.