'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On July 15, 2022, hundreds of travelers were evacuated from the San Francisco International Airport following a bomb threat received by airport officials. Soon after, authorities reported that they had found an incendiary device. One person was taken into custody in relation to the threat.
On Friday night, the busy San Francisco terminals came to a standstill when officials found a suspicious package on the premises. Around 8:15 pm, a bomb threat was reported when airport authorities deemed the unidentified package "possibly incendiary." Through a tweet made by the airport around 9:30 pm, the public were made aware of the immediate evacuation.
Along with the evacuation, operations of the airport's AirTrain and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) trains were suspended. The airport's BART station was closed just minutes after the evacuation process was over, according to a tweet from the transit agency. Passenger pick-ups and drop-offs were only allowed at the domestic terminals. Videos taken by the public showed areas being taped off by the police at the airport.
More than three hours later, the San Francisco Airport resumed normal operations. The threat and subsequent evacuation led to major delays in flight departures. Many flights were stopped on the tarmac, causing widespread distress.
What happened at the San Francisco International Airport? Videos of hundreds of travelers standing outside the airport circulate on the internet as police investigate bomb alert
On Friday night, hundreds of people saw their journeys interrupted as they were ordered to evacuate the international terminal of the San Francisco Airport immediately. The reason provided by officials for this sudden turn of events was "police activity", but no further explanation was given until later.
According to police, the evacuation was "out of an abundance of caution," following a bomb threat, and normal operations resumed a few hours later. The BART train service was expected to resume for all of the terminals around 6:25 am in the morning.
A number of flights, especially transpacific departures, were delayed by hours following the evacuation. According to a flyer, a scheduled flight to Singapore was delayed by more than an hour "to allow customers additional time to check in." A flight scheduled for 11 p.m. to Sydney was also delayed. Videos of the evacuation process filmed by the travelers present at the airport quickly spread all over the internet.
The suspect was arrested by police on Friday night. Further investigations will be carried out by the authorities. No comments have been made by airport officials regarding the evacuation. A spokesperson for the airport did not return a request for comment.
