Woman drives through main gate of CIA complex, shot down by guards

It was not immediately known why security officers opened fire or what the person was doing at the time of the shooting.

 CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) logo and U.S. flag are seen in this illustration taken May 6, 2025.  (photo credit: REUTERS/DADO RUVIC/ILLUSTRATION)
CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) logo and U.S. flag are seen in this illustration taken May 6, 2025.
(photo credit: REUTERS/DADO RUVIC/ILLUSTRATION)

Security guards opened fire on Thursday on a person outside the gates of the CIA's headquarters near Washington, DC, and then took the suspect into custody, the intelligence agency said. 

A CIA spokesperson said security staff "engaged a person" outside the main gates, and a source familiar with the matter said the suspect was a woman.

According to a source, a woman tried to drive through the main gate of the agency's headquarters.  A source told Reuters that she never entered the compound, but refused to stop. 

The spokesperson declined to say whether gunfire struck the suspect or to disclose any other details of the incident, except to say the person was now in custody.

 The lobby of the CIA Headquarters Building in Langley, Virginia, U.S. on August 14, 2008.  (credit:  REUTERS/Larry Downing/File Photo)
The lobby of the CIA Headquarters Building in Langley, Virginia, U.S. on August 14, 2008. (credit: REUTERS/Larry Downing/File Photo)

Still unclear why the security guard opened fire

NBC News reported earlier that the person was shot, citing a person with knowledge of the matter.

It was not immediately known why security officers opened fire or what the person was doing at the time of the shooting.

The incident occurred around 4 a.m., a Fairfax police spokesperson told ABC News.

The CIA closed the main gate at its Langley compound and directed employees to seek alternate routes.

The shooting incident came after two Israeli Embassy staffers were killed by a lone gunman in downtown Washington on Wednesday night. There was no indication the incidents were related.