Bomb and gun threat sparks panic as theme park near Washington DC is evacuated on eve of 9/11 anniversary
Chilling warning claimed explosive device was hidden somewhere in popular attraction
A BOMB threat led to the evacuation of a theme park near Washington DC on the eve of the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.
As many as 3,000 people were rushed out of the Six Flags America park on Saturday afternoon after police received the chilling warning.
A man called cops claiming that a bomb had been placed somewhere in the sprawling site.
He also said that people would be shot as they tried to escape.
Maryland State Police contacted the £40-a-ticket theme park and instructed them evacuate.
“The safety of our guests and employees is always our highest priority,” Six Flags spokesperson Debbie Evans told the .
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Customers at the park were initially instructed to move to the entrances due to an unspecified "event" to ensure people remained calm, a staff source told WTOP News.
Luckily the park was in the process of closing for a private event, meaning guests were already heading to the exits.
Police later scoured the theme park -- which is about 20 miles from the centre of Washington DC -- but nothing suspicious was found.
They are now investigating the hoax.
It comes on the eve of the 15th anniversary of 9/11, when 3,000 people were killed after passenger planes were hijacked and flown into the World Trade Centre towers in New York and the Pentagon in Virginia.
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