US nuclear weapons facility locked down over bomb fears

AUGUSTA: The Savannah River Site (SRS) nuclear weapons complex in South Carolina declared a security alert and went into lockdown after it was feared a bomb had been discovered in a restroom. 

The SRS facility was built in the 1950s to produce materials used in the fabrication of nuclear weapons, primarily tritium and plutonium-239 for nuclear weapons and continues to refine materials to support 'the nation’s nuclear deterrent'.

Spread over 310-square miles the complex operating under the US Department of Energy went into lockdown on Wednesday after staff discovered a bomb in a toilet. 

A spokesman for the Department of Energy Jim Giusti said, “we have a suspicious item. We’ve declared a security alert and we’re going through our procedures to do what is right.’’

Authorities later declared the all-clear after the suspicious device turned out to be nothing more than an air freshener. 

This is the second time the SRS has gone into lockdown. In August 2015 the facility was locked down for five hours after security discovered explosive residue and it was feared a bomb had passed through security. 

According to a spokesman the 2015 lockdown came after electronic and canine inspection both confirmed presence of explosive residue at one of the entry control gates. 

Both times no actual bomb was discovered at the Savannah River Site.