Phone threat empties plane at SFO; ‘no credible threat’ found
3:59 p.m.: According to ABC News, an FBI spokesman has labelled the threat “non-credible,” meaning that everybody can go back through security and try again. Safe travels, everyone!
A phone call to the Alameda County sheriff’s office alleging either a bomb or a terror suspect was on board American Airlines Flight 24 from San Francisco International Airport to New York’s JFK forced officials to prevent the flight’s takeoff this morning. The plane, scheduled for takeoff at 7:30 a.m., was diverted to a taxiway, emptied of passengers, and searched while passengers were interviewed.
Here’s a Twitter feed from one of the passengers, Campbell McKellar, indicating that passengers sat on the plane for about four hours before it began to be un-boarded. Passenger Jay Sears also narrated the events on Twitter.
According to the KPIX website, arrivals and departures at SFO continued unaffected. According to the same source, 163 passengers and 11 crew members were on the plane.
