Muddy Branch bomb scare a false alarm

Friday, Oct. 27, 2006

A bomb scare that prompted police closure of Muddy Branch Road Friday morning turned out to be a false alarm.

An unidentified man reportedly told Federal Express representatives Friday morning that bomb materials were being carried in a package on one of the company’s delivery trucks, said Gaithersburg police spokesman Cpl. Rudy Wagner.

Company officials identified the package and notified the driver of the truck carrying it. The driver pulled over at the intersection of Muddy Branch Road and Clifftop Drive, Wagner said.

Gaithersburg police and the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service were notified, and at 10:17 a.m. police closed Muddy Branch Road between School and Palmspring drives, Wagner said.

Officials relocated the truck to a more secure location nearby where the truck and package were investigated the truck, Wagner said.

The package did not contain an explosive device, Wagner said. He did not provide other details about the package.

The fire marshal’s office is investigating the bomb threat, Wagner said. The truck was returned to service.