Urgent terror attack warning after two men caught trying to storm military base
The foiled attack may have been a 'dry run' to assess the strength of the base's security measures, according to a former Quantico instructor.
The bizarre arrest of two men posing as Amazon drivers caught while trying to enter Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia has sparked an urgent terror warning.
A former firearms instructor at the base warned the incident could have been a "dry run" to test security ahead of a potentially bigger attack.
The two Jordanian nationals were arrested after trying to enter the facility in a box truck but are believed to have had no weapons nor any previous criminal records.
Virginia authorities have not released evidence suggesting the pair had a terror-related motive to attempt to enter the base but former Quantico employee David Katz warned the incident is concerning.
Mr Katz said: "Driving the box truck was a dry run for driving a box truck that was not going to be empty the second time.
"Can I prove that? No. But it's like the 9/11 hijackers trying to get aboard planes with box cutters on other occasions prior to actually perpetrating the act."
The federal government's 9/11 commission concluded the men behind the Twin Towers and Pentagon attacks had taken cross-country flights in the weeks before the hijacking to determine "the best time to stop the cockpit."
The former DEA agent told Fox News Digital: "It's their equivalent of a feasibility study – What would happen if we get off the highway in a box truck and try to get into the base?"
Amazon launched an investigation into the accident but suggested neither of the men had been at the base to deliver on the company's behalf.
The men drove to the base on May 3 allegedly posing as delivery drivers and trying to gain access.
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The duo was stopped at the gate by military police but the driver allegedly ignored the officers and tried to drive straight through.
In a statement released after the men's arrest, Capt. Michael Curtis said: "Due to the swift response and execution of their duties, the officers were able to deploy the vehicle denial barriers, prevent any further access to Marine Corps Base Quantico and detain the individuals who were eventually turned over to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody."
Neither Immigration and Customs Enforcement nor the FBI have confirmed the pair's identities so far.
But according to local reports, one of the men had entered the United States illegally via San Diego just last month while the other suspect is believed to have overstayed his student visa.
