Man acting 'suspiciously' prompted access restrictions at Fort Bragg

A foreign national who was acting suspicious while trying to gain access to Fort Bragg on Tuesday prompted authorities to restrict access to the military base while they worked to determine if the man posed a threat.

The man has been identified as Nouran Ahmad Shihab Sueidan, He appeared Wednesday morning in a Wake County courtroom but it was not immediately clear why the case was heard in Wake or what charges were filed in connection with the case.

Col. Larry C. Dewey told reporters at a press conference Tuesday that investigators questioned the man before determining that he did not pose a threat to the base or the people who work there.

"Everything seems benign at this point," Dewey said, while praising the response to the incident by multiple agencies. "The response was textbook of what we wanted to do."

Dewey said the man approached a gate guard about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday and presented a valid passport, but when asked for identification authorities discovered that his visa was expired along with an expired driver's license and expired car registration.

A police K9 was called to the scene and the animal "reacted" to the man's vehicle, which prompted authorities to detain him. No harmful materials have been found.

A criminal complaint said Sueidan told Fort Bragg officials he needed to "take a tour of the Special Operations facility to identify if it was worth his time."

Dewey said Sueidan was combative when asked about his documents but that he never attempted to force his way onto the base, which houses a population of about 40,000.

No injuries were reported, but the incident did prompt a huge response by several different law enforcement agencies.

The criminal complaint said Sueidan initially complied with law enforcement by turning around and putting his hands behind his back but then swung his arm away when the first handcuff was in place.

During the incident, motorists traveling to Fort Bragg by vehicle diverted to Interstate 295, and outbound traffic was diverted to other roads.

The base reopened shortly after 3 p. m., authorities said.