State Capitol evacuated for suspicious package

A mysterious bag left on the state seal inside Washington’s Capitol building in Olympia prompted an evacuation late Monday morning.

The Washington State Patrol evacuated the complex around 10 a.m. on Monday because of the unclaimed package.

Authorities brought in a bomb squad to examine the suspicious package. The squad removed the bag and lifted the evacuation around noon.

“The package [was] in the Rotunda on the state seal. That’s obviously not in a space where people set a bag down and forget about it. That in and of itself is a little suspicious,” said Bob Calkins with the Washington State Patrol. “There were other things about the bag and the contents that caused us just a little bit of concern.”

The bag wasn’t large, but given the layout of the Capitol building, Calkins said there was no good way to have business continue safely with people moving from office to office until it was removed.

Lawmakers are not in session at the Capitol, but staff members for the governor’s office and other state agencies work at the complex.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.