One person was killed and another injured Monday when a car with two people inside tried to ram security gates near the U.S. National Security Agency outside Washington.
The National Security Agency said security officials shot at a vehicle carrying two men dressed as women after the driver accelerated toward a police car guarding the Fort Meade complex, where the intelligence agency is headquartered.
An occupant of the rogue vehicle died at the scene. Another was transported to a local hospital, as was a police officer with non-life-threatening injuries.
Aerial images show two damaged sports utility vehicles near a guard gate - including one with NSA police markings.
The FBI, which is leading the investigation, tells VOA it does not believe the incident is "related to terrorism."
"The incident has been contained and is under investigation," said Colonel Brian Foley, garrison commander at Fort Meade, the military compound where the NSA and several other federal agencies are based. "The residents, service members and civilian employees on the installation are safe."
NSA security personnel blocked the car from entering the premises, Foley added.
"The shooting scene is contained and we do not believe it is related to terrorism. ... We are working with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Maryland to determine if federal charges are warranted," a spokeswoman for the FBI Baltimore field office said in an emailed statement.
U.S President Barack Obama has been briefed on the incident, a White House spokesman said.
The National Security Agency, a pillar of the United States intelligence program, is based at the Fort George Meade U.S. Army base about 40 kilometers (24 miles) northeast of Washington, D.C, in the U.S. state of Maryland.
The military installation is home to other federal agencies, including Defense Informations Systems Agency and U.S. Cyber Command.
Approximately 29,000 civilian employees and 11,000 military personnel work at the base, according to Fort Meade's website.
VOA National security correspondent Jeff Seldin and White House correspondent Aru Pande contributed to this report.
