A woman angry about not being allowed to board a plane at Sky Harbor International Airport was arrested after allegedly mentioning an explosive device, resulting in hundreds of travelers having to evacuate part of one concourse, police said Saturday.
A police bomb squad responded Friday but found no device and the airport soon returned to normal though three flights were delayed.
Police said 53-year-old Hope L. Webber was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor false emergency reporting and felony making a false terrorism report.
Webber’s statements to airline personnel during the incident “related to an explosive device,” Sgt. Mercedes Fortune, a police spokeswoman, told The Associated Press.
Webber’s hometown wasn’t available, Fortune said Saturday.
American Airlines said in an email that employees had called police to deal with a disruptive female passenger trying to board a flight to Salt Lake City shortly before it was supposed to take off.
Parts of Terminal 4 were briefly evacuated.
Jon Connor, a filmmaker, said he was walking to his plane when “all of the sudden hordes of people” started walking in his direction.
Passengers posted pictures of crowded hallways on social media.
(AP)
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One Response
If there is one thing Alex Baldwin has taught us, it is: Don’t act like a jerk in an airport. Security is tight – rightly so – and any talk of a threat to security, e.g., a bomb, is going to get the talker pulled aside and probably – rightly so – arrested.