Multiple news outlets report that five reporters who arrive to cover an invitation-only event at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, are briefly detained at gunpoint by security personnel after officers believe they may be attempting unauthorized entry. The incident occurs Monday before a scheduled groundbreaking for a new training facility for missile operators at the federal airfield near Santa Barbara.
According to reporting by local outlets, the detained group includes reporters from Noozhawk and KEYT, along with two military personnel who are also invited to the event. The New York Post describes reporters being taken from their cars at gunpoint, while The Guardian and Times of India attribute the detention to a suspected mix-up or miscommunication at the gate, with officers treating the arrivals as potential gatecrashers.
The accounts generally agree the standoff lasts for roughly over 30 minutes, and that the group misses the start of the ceremony.
