WASHINGTON, March 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of

Justice will make an antitrust announcement later on Thursday,

it said in a statement without offering any details.

Attorney General Merrick Garland, Deputy Attorney General

Lisa Monaco and other top department officials will hold an 11

a.m. (1500 GMT) press conference to announce the antitrust

action, the department said.

On Wednesday, Bloomberg News reported that the department is

preparing to sue Apple ( AAPL ) as soon as Thursday for

allegedly violating antitrust laws by blocking rivals from

accessing hardware and software features of its iPhone.