WASHINGTON — The US Secret Service’s discovery of a “suspicious” object forced the evacuation of the Ukrainian embassy in DC and shut down a major bridge on Friday — before it was deemed not a threat, according to officials.
A Secret Service spokesperson said that the suspicious item was found at around 8:40 a.m. Friday morning, prompting a response from the agency, the Metropolitan Police Department and others.
The authorities “out of an abundance of caution, closed several roads and the Key Bridge,” the Secret Service spokesperson added. “The investigation is ongoing and additional details will be forthcoming.”
Ukrainian charge d’affaires Denys Sienik told The Post that the embassy was evacuated and a “bomb squad” had been called after the suspicious object was found outside.
“Following an inspection, U.S. law enforcement reported that the object discovered near the Embassy poses no threat; the area around the diplomatic mission has been reopened.
Consular services will resume shortly,” Sienik added later.
The forced evacuation comes amid tense negotiations between the US and Ukraine as well as the US and Russia to work toward winding down Moscow’s more than four-year war against Kyiv.