US air base in Italy locked down for hours over security alarm

ROME — A U.S. air base in Italy went on lockdown Wednesday for several hours after security forces received word of a possible car bomb targeting the facility, though officials later determined there was no threat.

Authorities evacuated a gate at the Naval Air Station Sigonella and locked down the facilities there for several hours as they investigated, the U.S. Navy said in a statement.

Italian police and bomb squad members “inspected the package and determined it was not a threat,” a U.S. military statement from the base said.

“We are grateful to our Navy Security Force personnel for their quick response,” the statement said.

U.S. Navy Lt. Andrea Perez, a spokesperson at the base, told The Associated Press there were “no injuries” in the incident.

An Italian defense official said that it was a “false alarm that triggered all the due procedures.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

NAS Sigonella is outside of Catania on the island of Sicily. It’s on a base for the Italian Air Force and provides command and control for U.S. and NATO forces, as well as a strategic location on the Mediterrean Sea for them to deploy across Europe, Africa and Asia.

NAS Sigonella hosts U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft, as well as MQ-4C Triton drones. U.S. Space Force personnel who work on identifying possible missile threats in the region are also based there.