Bomb Threat Closes World Bank

The Washington headquarters of the World Bank will be closed for business Friday as it investigates a bomb threat, Reuters reports. "The bank is working with law enforcement officials to determine the validity of the threat," said a statement from the bank. Few other details were released. The international lending institution is located about a block away from the White House.

A caller warned that a bomb would explode at noon, Bloomberg reports. Bank officials told its 8,000 DC employees to stay home as "a precautionary measure." Its sister institution, the IMF, will be open, but workers have been given the option of staying home. Security was stepped up at both institutions in 2004 after US intelligence warned of possible threats. (More World Bank stories.)