A bomb placed by terrorists detonates under the Woodrow Wilson bridge near Washington D.C., killing hundreds of motorists. Days later, another bomb is found in a terminal at Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport. Then a suspicious briefcase filled with a mysterious white powder is found in thetrunk of an abandoned car just yards from M & T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens.
Sixty members of the Maryland National Guard Reaction Force called up by Gov. Martin O?Malley rush to downtown Baltimore, cordoning off parking lots and setting up road blocks. Then two specially equipped Guards, part of elite haz-mat team, carefully inspect the briefcase.
Suddenly, a loud explosion, and smoke fills the air.
The terrifying sequence of events was all part of a training exercise on Friday conducted by the Maryland National Guard aimed to test it?s readiness in case just such a coordinated attacks happens here.
The exercise, conducted jointly with the Baltimore Police Department provided a test run for the state?s first responders.
Technical sergeant Chris Bolt, a member of the unit that is specially trained to handle biological and chemical weapons, said an explosion can be a nightmare.
“Our biggest fear is a bomb,” said Bolt, as members of his unit place the remnants of the briefcase?s contents in small plastic bags.
Bolt, who is stationed in Forte Meade and is on 24-hour call, said another concern are dirty bombs ? regular bombs fused with radioactive waste,
“It?s difficult to protect people from radiation,” he said.
Major Kristine Henry, spokeswoman for the Guard, said the exercise proceeded as planned.
“Overall this was great learning experience for us,” she said. “We have a lot to learn but overall we will be more prepared/”
However, one undercover police officer dressed in T-shirt and jeans with a camera slung around his neck, was able to penetrate the perimeter.
“I?m here to test security,” the fake photographer, Baltimore police Detective Mario Notar said as he slipped past a checkpoint and strolled toward the bomb site.
“That was a role-play piece,” said Henry, explaining the exercise highlighted flaws in procedures for identifying media.
