A United Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing Wednesday after a possible bomb threat was discovered, law enforcement officials said.
Two suspects have already been detained according to KPRC-TV, as reported by Newsweek.
The United flight from Jackson, Mississippi, to Houston, was diverted to Alexandria International Airport in Louisiana following reports of an inbound aircraft emergency made to 911 dispatchers. The Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post that it was alerted at 12.24 p.m. to reports of a “possible explosive on board” the flight.
The plane landed safely before passengers disembarked. Prior to being let off the plane, passenger Megann Cox told KALB-TV the plane was en route to Houston when the crew announced the unexpected stop.
“We got to the airport here, got off the runway on these spurs on the tarmac, she said. “Shortly after we got here, they powered the engine down, turned all the electricity off, including the air circulation. We’ve been sitting in stagnant air for probably a good 40 or 45 minutes.”
A bomb squad, the FBI and local agents responded to the incident, in addition to the England Airpark Fire Department and the TSA.
FBI New Orleans released a statement regarding the incident, saying it was “thankful to report there was no threat to public safety.”
United Airlines issued a statement after the incident in which it said the flight was diverted “due to a customer-related security issue”.
“The flight landed safely and was met by local authorities who are investigating the matter further,” it added.
