Anonymous ‘chemical weapons’ threats were made against at least five passenger planes flying to New York yesterday.
US military jets escorted an Air France plane arriving in to JFK after a threat was made against the flight, authorities said. An anonymous caller claimed there was ‘chemical weapons’ on board.
The caller said that four flights had devices on board but only specified the JFK-bound Air France flight.
But despite similar threats against another flight operated by Saudi Arabia Airlines, and both airlines being searched, no weapons were found.
An American Airlines flight coming in to Newark from Birmingham Airport was also briefly held on the tarmac after a threat against it, said American Airlines spokesman Kent Powell.
Authorities first said the pilot should land and taxi to a remote area away from the terminal but later radioed that the threat was not credible and cleared the plane to go to the terminal minutes after it landed.
USA Today said the Maryland State Police received an anonymous call at about 6:30am of a ‘bomb threat’ aboard the Air France flight.
