Series of Bomb Threats Empties 3 U.S. Buildings in Washington

Three federal buildings were evacuated today after a man saying he represented the “People’s Liberation Army” telephoned a series of bomb threats to 10 agencies, officials said.

No bombs were found.

As many as 4,000 Department of Housing and Urban Development employees were forced to leave their building after Secretary Samuel R. Pierce, whose office received the call, interrupted a ceremony to announce: “We have a PLO bomb threat. We’re going to have to evacuate.”

But department official Robert S. Terjesen said the Mideastern-sounding man who telephoned Pierce’s office at 11:20 a.m. said he represented the “People’s Liberation Army.”

Bomb threats also led to the evacuation of the General Accounting Office and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other Threats Received

Bomb threats were also telephoned to the departments of State, Energy, Justice and Labor, the Interstate Commerce Commission, the FBI and the Environmental Protection Agency.

In addition to the HUD offices, SEC workers and other federal employees at the government’s Judiciary Plaza building were asked to leave their offices while authorities investigated a bomb threat.

No bombs were found at the buildings where the caller said explosive devices had been planted, officials said.

Terjesen, director of HUD’s Headquarters Operations Division, said the caller told a secretary, “We have a nice bomb wrapped up for you.”