UPDATE: Police have reportedly identified the men in the "be on the lookout alert" and found "no nexus to criminal activity.
Now DC Metro police say the men in the BOLO were found and have no "nexus to criminal activity." https://t.co/ZnSfAqrrmT
— Emily Miller (@EmilyMiller) November 19, 2015
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A poster notifying law enforcement to be on the lookout for four men over "suspicious activity" observed near the Pentagon was posted online by a reporter Wednesday night.
WTTG-TV reporter Emily Miller tweeted the leaked BOLO alert, writing, "This is scary."
This is scary: Be On The Lookout alert for these men on DC metro at Pentagon. Note it was a warm on Sunday. https://t.co/hkgTuhBgKx— Emily Miller (@Emily Miller)1447899300.0
According to the alert, Metro Transit Police was requesting assistance in efforts "to identify the above pictured individuals in reference to suspicious activity that was observed at the Pentagon Metro Station."
The "suspicious activity" was said to have occurred Sunday, but it wasn't clear what the individuals were seen doing. The poster urged those with information about their identities to call a particular detective.
After the alert was leaked online, the Metro Transit Police Department said on Twitter that it would not confirm or deny the poster's authenticity.
"MTPD does not comment on non-public material," the department said.
The response infuriated and perplexed many.
.@MetroTransitPD This is the worst possible response you could have offered.— Matt Lee (@Matt Lee)1447905910.0
@MetroTransitPD the item the reporter tweeted is now public. if it's not legitimate, the public deserves to know.— southpaw (@southpaw)1447906538.0
The alert comes after the Islamic State named D.C. as a target following attacks last week in Paris, France. "We will strike America at its center in Washington," the group warned in an ominous this week.
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