Shooting outside US NSA headquarters

WASHINGTON: Shots were fired Wednesday when a vehicle tried to enter the National Security Agency, the US electronic spying agency outside Washington, without authorization, an incident that left at least one person injured, officials said.

But hours after the 7:00 am (1200 GMT) shooting at the main entrance to the highly secure facility in Fort Meade, Maryland, the agency did not explain who fired the shots or the nature of the injuries.

"The situation is under control and there is no ongoing security or safety threat," the NSA said. Aerial footage of the scene from NBC News showed a black SUV with numerous bullet holes in its wind shield crashed into concrete barriers at the entrance gate.

The images showed what appeared to be police surrounding a man on the ground in handcuffs. "Weapons were discharged in the course of the incident, which remains under investigation at this time," the agency said in a statement. "Several individuals were transported to area hospitals; however, preliminary reports do not presently indicate that there are injuries attributable to gunfire." Earlier, an NSA spokesman told AFP that one person was injured.

The local ABC television affiliate put the number of injured at three and said a suspect was arrested. The Baltimore office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation was tasked with handling the investigation. A law enforcement source told AFP that it was too soon to know whether the incident was an attack on the facility or otherwise. They are "still trying to ascertain the facts," the source said.