Photo: The FBI on Monday investigated terror threats to flights originating from and destined for JFK International Airport. File Photo.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation was busy on the Monday holiday as several phone threats were made to flights arriving at and departing from area hubs, including John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Authorities scrambled fighter jets around 7 a.m. to escort an Air France flight bound for Paris back to JFK after Maryland State Police received a threat. The plane was evacuated; passengers, crew and aircraft searched, but nothing turned up.
Later at JFK, a Saudia Airlines aircraft also was searched; and after a threat was received on the ground while an American Airlines flight scheduled to arrive at the borough airport from England was still in the air, federal investigators called on the pilot to taxi to a holding area away from terminals as soon as the plane landed. However, after determining the threat to be a hoax, the flight was directed to a gate.
The Transportation Safety Administration expected more than two million people to fly daily during the Memorial Day travel period.
michael@theforumnewsgroup.com
