The FBI arrested a man today after a telephoned bomb threat sparked the temporary evacuation of rescuers from an area of the Pentagon shattered by a terrorist attack, a US official said.
The Defense Department confirmed a threat had been received and that rescue and medical workers were evacuated for about an hour after dawn but refused to comment on details of the threat.
A US official said a man with an Arabic accent said in a telephone threat at about 11 a.m. Irish time that a bomb had been placed near the Pentagon.
There was no immediate indication of where the suspect was taken into custody or where the telephone call was received.
Defense Department officials said dozens of search-and-medical personnel working in the devastated area were removed from the building and returned to the job shortly about two hours later was given.
Defense Secretary Mr Donald Rumsfeld said yesterday that earlier estimates by fire officials that as many as 800 workers could be unaccounted for were apparently too high.