Nothing says “Happy Halloween” like a base-wide lockdown spurred by one individual’s dumb idea of a joke.

On Friday night, Fort Bragg initiated its emergency response protocols after spotting someone dressed as a suicide bomber attempting to enter one of its main gates. On a now-deleted Facebook post, the military base told the public that it wasn’t a terrorist but an American soldier in an ill-thought out Halloween costume.

“The Soldier was dressed as a suicide bomber with simulated explosive vest,” the Fort Bragg page said. “The incident resulted in an emergency response, EOD clearing the entire scene and an extended closure of a gate. Although the incident remains under investigation, initial reports indicate it was a Halloween costume.”

Dressing as a suicide bomber is tasteless, but to walk into a military base populated by people who have encountered real suicide bombers is simply offensive. Members of the Army community quickly whipped up a firestorm of both outrage and inappropriate jokes.

The ensuing comment thread on Facebook became so incendiary that the original announcement was completely removed from the Fort Bragg page.

“Unfortunately, we had to remove the entire post because comments on it were either profane, sophomoric, or did not treat the subject seriously,” the page now states. “Please take note that this is a family-friendly website meant to inform and keep our families safe, many of whom have directly felt the effects of real – not costumed – suicide bombers.”

The soldier who caused this ruckus has not been identified, and the Army has yet to indicate whether he will be charged with a crime.