Gunshots heard near Pentagon, police search underway

Police were searching today for the source of potential gunshots fired near the Pentagon, though operations were back to normal after they found nothing suspicious, a spokesperson said.

Pentagon police officers heard about four or five gunshots around 0455 am (0855 GMT) fired at or near the south parking lot of the massive Defence Department headquarters, Pentagon Force Protection Agency spokesperson Chris Layman told AFP.

They locked down the area, along with all of the Pentagon's entrances before conducting sweeps of the area, including a canine search with local police.

"They did not find anything," Layman said.

"They're investigating it right now, they're not sure what happened right now."

By 6am (1000 GMT), all Pentagon entrances were reopened and operations were back to normal, he added.