Atlanta federal building evacuated, bomb squad sent after suspicious package found in mailroom

Atlanta federal building cleared, bomb squad sent

ATLANTA — Hundreds of workers were evacuated Tuesday from a downtown federal building that houses Internal Revenue Service offices, and a bomb squad was sent in after a suspicious package was found.

Atlanta police Officer Otis Redmond said workers X-raying packages in the mail room of the Peachtree Summit Federal Building found the suspicious package Tuesday morning.

The high-rise building of approximately 30 floors sits on a busy intersection overlooking the interstate. Federal and local law enforcement officers were seen in front of the building, and workers were milling around nearby after being evacuated.

Local television showed footage of workers scattering from the building, with firetrucks and police cars parked outside.

Members of a bomb squad were suiting up to examine the suspicious package. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was among the agencies investigating.

The building houses federal agencies that also include the U.S. Social Security Administration. It is routine to X-ray packages that come into the mailroom.