LAX bomb threat was a hoax, Qantas official says

A Sydney-bound plane's 347 passengers, 20 crew members and all of their bags are removed from the aircraft and examined by TSA and FBI officials. The six-hour search turns up no explosives.
By Cara Mia DiMassa, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
July 19, 2008
Passengers and luggage were ordered removed from a Qantas airliner and its interior was searched by federal authorities Friday after a threat was made against the flight, according to officials at Los Angeles International Airport.

The six-hour search found no explosives, authorities said.

There were 347 passengers and 20 crew members aboard the plane, which was at the gate preparing for its scheduled 10 a.m. departure to Sydney when law enforcement officials received a call saying that there was a bomb on the flight, said Laura Eimiller of the FBI.

LAX spokeswoman Nancy Castles said passengers and crew were removed from the plane and that they and their hand luggage were searched by Transportation Security Administration officials.

The plane itself was taken to a remote area at the west end of the airport. Law enforcement agencies, headed by the FBI, continued to search it as well as the flight's checked luggage, Castles said.

Passengers spent most of the day at local hotels while the plane was being searched.

Lloyd Quartermaine, a spokesman for Qantas, said authorities determined that the threat was a hoax. He said the plane was rescheduled to leave Los Angeles at 11 p.m. Friday evening.

cara.dimassa@latimes.com





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