A suspect is in custody after a bomb threat forced a portion of Interstate 85 in South Carolina to be shut down Thursday afternoon.
The roadway was closed in both directions in Greenville County after a semitruck driver was pulled over during a routine traffic stop around 3:30 p.m., roughly 5 miles southwest of Greenville, and claimed to have a bomb, Gov. Henry McMaster said in a statement.
South Carolina Highway Patrol said a suspect had been taken into custody late Thursday afternoon, but described the situation as “an active incident” as they worked to determine if there was an explosive device in the truck or trailer.
The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, S.C. State Law Enforcement Division, S.C. Department of Public Safety and FBI also responded to the scene, according to FITSNews.
By around 7:30 p.m., a bomb squad had swept the 18-wheeler and determined the scene to be safe, according to Atlanta journalist Cody Alcorn. The sheriff’s office previously said a suspicious package had been found, but did not confirm if it was a bomb, reported Fox Carolina.
The incident caused a backup that lasted for more than four hours before the interstate was eventually reopened.
The identity of the truck driver has not been released.
The threat came in the wake of a deadly truck attack early New Year’s Day in New Orleans and a Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas.
