The National Museum of African American History and Culture was evacuated after business hours Monday evening when a suspicious item was discovered on the second floor of the Washington, D.C., building.
But by 7:45 p.m., Park Police tweeted that it was a false alarm.
“@NMAAHC suspicious package has been cleared. Normal operations have resumed #bettersafethansorry #thanksforyourpatience #lesm,” Park Police wrote.
@NMAAHC suspicious package has been cleared. Normal operations have resumed #bettersafethansorry #thanksforyourpatience #lesm
— USPPNEWS (@usparkpolicepio) June 12, 2017
The U.S. Park Police said an item was found around 6:45 p.m., more than an hour after the Smithsonian museum shut its doors at 5:30 p.m. It’s not clear if a private event had been going on at the time of the incident.
The entire museum was cleared out of an “abundance of caution,” police said.
Officials did not describe the item found on Monday aside from saying it was a “suspicious package,” but museum visitors found a noose on May 31, prompting a temporary closure of the facility while police removed the object and ensured the safety of the premises.
That incident came only days after another noose was discovered at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington.
