Terror can strike at any moment. All precautions must be taken to avoid complete disaster.
And this Supreme Court building was evacuated after dangerous explosives were found.
Chaos erupted at the Arizona Supreme Court when a dangerous package laced with explosives turned up in the mail room, forcing a full-scale evacuation and rattling the nerves of everyone involved.
Authorities jumped into action early Monday morning after spotting the suspicious item around 8 a.m., a stark reminder of how vulnerable even our highest courts can be to threats from the shadows.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety wasted no time in confirming the worst: the package held several vials, and tests showed at least two packed with some kind of homemade explosive brew.
According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, officials cleared out not just the State Courts building but also the nearby Education Department, Attorney General’s Office, and Department of Administration, turning a routine workday into a scene straight out of a thriller.
Thankfully, the Supreme Court wasn’t holding any sessions at the time, sparing judges and staff from being caught in the middle of proceedings.
The entire courthouse stayed locked down while law enforcement teams scoured the premises for additional dangers.
By late afternoon, the focus shifted to getting that hazardous package out of there, with experts handling it like the ticking time bomb it could have been.
A specialist decked out in a full protective suit carefully hauled the device from the building and secured it in a heavy-duty, sphere-like container.
From there, a police convoy whisked it away to a safe spot for controlled detonation, ensuring no risks to the public or the city, per AZ Family.
According to the news outlet, the all-clear finally came around 3:30 p.m., allowing the building to reopen, with plans for employees to head back in on Tuesday.
One court insider shared the unease that rippled through the ranks during the ordeal.
“When they notified all staff that we needed to evacuate, I think there was a lot of questions that we didn’t necessarily know about, speaking as a general employee of the Supreme Court. We’re just following directions,” Arizona Supreme Court communications director, Alberto Rodriguez said to AZ Family.
“I don’t want to speak on behalf of any of my colleagues, but personally, it’s just one of those things where it doesn’t feel good when it gets to your workplace. You hear about it all the time, but it’s unfortunate that it reached the Arizona Supreme Court, where we had to have this evacuation.”
Details remain scarce on where this package came from or if it was rigged to go off, leaving folks wondering about the motives behind such a bold move against a pillar of American justice.
No one got hurt in the incident, a small mercy in what could have been a much darker day for Arizona.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
