Alert by security dog prompts DC airport search

CHANTILLY, Virginia�? Officials at Dulles International Airport evacuated an area around a cargo container outide the B Concourse after a suspicious item was found there.

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Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spokesman Rob Yingling says the item was found Saturday about 4:30 p.m. ET and the Virginia state explosive ordinance disposal team is on the scene. Four hours later, investigators were still examining the item.

Several gates inside the concourse, which houses mostly international carriers, were also evacuated. Airport officials relocated passengers to other areas of the airport to catch their flights, and Yingling said the airport was open and otherwise operating normally.

Yingling said officials were being extra vigilant in light of recent terror threats, and taking all precautions if something out of the ordinary is discovered. He would not say what kind of item was found, or why it was deemed suspicious

Yingling says two outbound flights have been delayed because the aircraft were within the perimeter.

NBC station WRC of Washington contributed to this report from The Associated Press.

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