After a tense and thorough search, the FBI confirmed that no explosives were found on a plane at the Philadelphia International Airport.
A plane that flew in from Glasgow, Scotland was evacuated and searched at the airport Friday afternoon after a threatening note was found, according to the TSA.
The FBI said the note, which was mailed to a London address, mentioned some type of explosive threat on the plane. Authorities in London notified the U.S.
The TSA issued this statement late in the afternoon:
"At approximately 2:45 PM EDT, US Airways 769 (Glasgow-PHL) landed safely at Philadelphia International Airport. Out of an abundance of caution, passengers have been deplaned and the aircraft is being swept by law enforcement due to a threatening note."
Bomb-sniffing dogs went through the luggage, which was taken out of the plane and spread out on the runway. The dogs detected something, according to law enforcement sources. That is not necessarily significant, authorities said, because it could be many things, like a pack of matches. Around 7 p.m., bomb sqad members inspected the luggage.
US Airways spokesman Andrew Christie told The Associated Press that 157 passengers and six crewmembers had boarded the plane, which was ready for an outbound flight to Anchorage, Alaska. They were asked by TSA officials to deplane so the plane could be swept by law enforcement officials. The passengers were taken inside Terminal A.
Andy Mehalshick, a reporter from the NBC affiliate in Wilkes-Barre, Pa was one of the evacuated passengers.
"We saw our crew and passengers leaving the aircraft," said Andy. "They weren't being told why. There was definitely this sense of urgency."
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The plane was moved to a secure area on the runway and searched. An FBI spokesman says that everything was checked and no explosives were found. However, an investigation regarding who made the threat continues.
