Officials say that the man arrested trying to enter MacDill Air Force Base on Monday was an AWOL serviceman, but they are still trying to find out what he and the woman with him were up to when they tried to drive into the base in a blue Honda CRV stocked with three hand guns, three rifles, ammunition, military clothing and equipment.
The military is not releasing the the names of the pair, or what branch of the military the man is in, but the AP reports that Air Force Col. Dave Cohen said they are both in their 20s, both U.S. citizens and that the woman is not connected to the military.
Cohen described the weapons found in the car as commercially available but “military style.” He said the incident does not appear to be terrorism-related.
“At this point, there is no indication that this is a terrorist act. We’re continuing the investigation, but all leads at this point point to the fact that it is not,” Cohen said.
According to reports, the pair drove up to a gate at the base around 5 p.m. Monday, and flashed what turned out to be fake military identification. “To our trained security personnel, there was something not right about them,” Cohen said, according to The Tampa Tribune. The man and woman were ordered out of the car.
“They were cooperative, the security forces member asked them to get out of the vehicle, when they did so, neither occupant was armed at that time, and were cooperative to the verbal commands,’ Cohen told Fox.
After weapons were found in the car, a bomb disposal unit was called, but no explosives were found.
Cohen told reporters that there was no indication either the man or the woman have ties to MacDill. According to the Tribune, Cohen said investigators are contacting the man’s military unit and the U.S. Attorney General’s office about how to proceed with any case.
