Bomb Hoax Snarls Traffic Over Potomac
- Share via
WASHINGTON — A man claiming to have a bomb held police at bay for several hours Monday on a Potomac River bridge, snarling morning traffic in the nation’s capital and disrupting Amtrak service along the East Coast.
Sadiq Abubakar drove his car into a barrier on the bridge and refused to let anyone near him for hours. Police negotiated with him via a cordless two-way police phone they used a robot to deliver.
The divorced, unemployed Nigerian national demanded to see his 6-year-old daughter, who lives with her mother in Portsmouth, Va., police said.
He surrendered about 2 p.m. No bomb was found. Authorities said Abubakar had been treated for mental problems since 1991.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
