Coast Guard Training Sparks Attack Rumors

Coast Guard Fbi A U.S. Coast Guard training exercise in the Potomac River near the Pentagon sparked confusion amid Friday's commemorations of the Sept. 11 anniversary.

by CBS/AP

Published: Fri, September 11, 2009 - 10:38 am CST Last Updated: Fri, September 11, 2009 - 11:10 am CST

WASHINGTON, DC - A U.S. Coast Guard training exercise in the Potomac River near the Pentagon sparked confusion amid Friday's commemorations of the Sept. 11 anniversary. FBI agents scrambled to the scene and the nearest airport briefly grounded flights.

Live CNN news reports said the Coast Guard had fired 10 rounds at a suspicious boat in the river, and showed vessels circling in the water — near the bridge President Barack Obama's motorcade crossed on the way to a memorial at the Pentagon Friday.

But multiple sources - including the FBI, Coast Guard and DC Metro police - confirmed to CBS News that no shots were fired.

Departures from Reagan National Airport were halted as a precaution for 22 minutes then resumed, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Diane Spitaliere said. The airport borders the Potomac.

A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said federal agents scrambled to the river scene after the initial reports, because the local FBI office had not been told ahead of time about the Coast Guard exercise. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the incident.

The confusion was reminiscent of an event earlier this year in New York, when a presidential plane was flown low over the city for a photo shoot and some people feared the city was under attack.

Coast Guard spokesman John Edwards said references to shots fired on the river Friday were picked up in radio chatter heard by CNN television. As part of its exercise, the Coast Guard aired simulated instructions to participants to fire 10 rounds, Edwards said.

But there were no shots actually fired and no suspicious boats, Edwards said.

Mr. Obama had traveled to the Pentagon to lay a wreath in a ceremony commemorating the eighth anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

In late April, a huge presidential passenger jet and two F-16 fighter planes whizzed past the Statue of Liberty and the lower Manhattan financial district as part of a photo shoot, sending panicked office workers streaming into the streets and evoking memories of 9/11.

After that incident, Mr. Obama said it was a mistake and promised it would not happen again. The director of the White House's military office resigned after the incident.

The Coast Guard is part of the Homeland Security Department, which was created in response to the 9/11 attacks. The massive reorganization was designed to promote sharing of information within the department and among other law enforcement agencies.

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carl Says:

Fri, Sep 11, 2009 at 5:25 pm

What’s all the fuss about? Bush got a few of his friends in the Coast Guard to take his daughters water sking on those fast boats and a few of the young men were just trying to impress the girls by firing a few shots to show them how they worked.

BamaBob Says:

Fri, Sep 11, 2009 at 4:13 pm

It’s going to be hard for them to blame this one on Bush. I’m sure they are working on it though.

rmseek1234 Says:

Fri, Sep 11, 2009 at 3:26 pm

You should-since they got their information from CNN! It was reported that this was a routine training exercise, and they don’t normally check in with the FBI beforehand. In addition, it was on a training channel,and had it been a real threat, the message would have been encrypted. But hey, those CNN folks always have the facts straight, don’t they?lol

sheltiedad Says:

Fri, Sep 11, 2009 at 1:59 pm

“federal agents scrambled to the river scene after the initial reports, because the local FBI office had not been told ahead of time about the Coast Guard exercise. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the incident.”

The FBI in action. I feel much safer now.