UPDATED: Franconia Home Searched by FBI Not A Public Safety Hazard

UPDATE 4:14 p.m.: The FBI has about Yonathan Melaku, including his military service record.

UPDATE 2:02 p.m: Melaku lived in a townhouse on the 6200 block of Sage Drive, not on William Edgar Drive, as Patch originally reported. The FBI has set up an evidence response tent in front of the house.

Schurtz Street has been reopened.

UPDATE 12:47 p.m. : Patch spoke with an 11-year-old boy named Dagnachew who lives on William Edgar Drive, the street that has been the main focus of law enforcement attention in Franconia.

The boy said Melaku, the suspect connected to the suspicious Pentagon package, lived with Melaku's father on the street. The boy did not know Melaku, but described his father as quiet and friendly.

"We don't really know him," the boy said. He added that the father was behind the FBI perimeter on Schurtz St, being interviewed by authorities.

UPDATE 11:50 a.m.: Andrew Ames, spokesperson for the FBI Washington Field Office, just spoke with reporters in Franconia.

Ames said there was no public safety hazard posed by the townhouse being searched. When the FBI initially arrived at the house, they began searching it to see whether there was a public safety concern, but now that they've determined there isn't, the search has been postponed. Agents are currently waiting for a search warrant.

"There is no public safety hazard," Ames said. Members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, FCPD, and the National Capital Response squad are on the scene, Ames said.

No homes nearby have been evacuated. Ames would not say whether the townhouse was occupied by alleged suspect Yonathan Melaku, but said the townhouse and the Pentagon case are "connected."

UPDATE 11:20 a.m.: Eagle-eyed commenter Mike Thornsbury points out that alleged Pentagon suspect and Franconia resident Yonathan Melaku was arrested on May 26 for allegedly robbing vehicles in Leesburg.

UPDATE 11:09 a.m.: There's an FBI evidence van parked on the 3200 block of William Edgar Drive.

UPDATE 10:48 a.m.: Kingstowne Patch has some new pictures from different sides of the closed-off area, including some as close to the site as any media outlets have gotten.

An FCPD explosive ordnance unit car and people who look to be federal agents are in front of a townhouse on the 3200 block of William Edgar Drive (pictured).

The has been identified as Yonathan Melaku, an Alexandria resident.

A man in an FBI Terorrism Task Force jacket got out of a car in the closed-off area.

UPDATE 10:11 a.m. : An FBI spokesperson said, "We are doing some knock-and-talks" when asked about the investigation. It's still not clear whether this is related to the suspicious package found at the Pentagon today.

Schurtz St is blocked off by FCPD squad cars. Several agents seem to be congregating around William Edgar Drive.

Around 9:50, an FCPD bomb squad truck pulled in.

The Secret Service referred Patch to the FBI.

Original Story: 

Schurtz Street in Franconia, near Mount Calvary Community Church, was closed as of 9:30 a.m. this morning for an FBI and Secret Service investigation.

The Fairfax County Police Department is assisting, according to an FCPD spokesperson.

Kingstowne Patch will continue updating this story with more information.

Correction: Yonathan Melaku's name was misspelled throughout this article. Patch apologizes for the error.

Additional reporting by Brian Krebs, Huntington-Belle Haven Patch.