Wilmington International Airport in North Carolina was evacuated on Thursday night after officials received a bomb threat that forced passengers and staff to leave the terminal.
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Airport officials said the evacuation began at approximately 8:50 p.m. as authorities worked to assess the situation.
Less than an hour later, at 9:49 p.m., the airport was given the all-clear and operations resumed.
Wilmington International Airport Evacuated After Bomb Threat
Following the reported threat, the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office Bomb Squad was called to the airport to investigate.
Authorities conducted a sweep of the facility to determine whether the threat was credible before eventually declaring the terminal safe.
"ILM International has been evacuated due to a bomb threat phoned in to the facility. The New Hanover County Sheriff's Office bomb squad is responding. And once the facility has been deemed safe, operations will resume," the sheriff's office wrote in a
Facebook post.Shortly afterward, the airport confirmed the outcome of the investigation in an update shared on social media.
"The New Hanover County Sheriff's Office Bomb Squad has completed their sweep and determined the terminal is safe for operations".
"We appreciate our partners for their swift response and thank everyone for their patience and cooperation. Operations may now resume."
Officials later confirmed that the threat had been phoned into the facility, prompting the evacuation as authorities worked to verify its legitimacy.
Recent Airport Threats Raise Security Concerns
Local outlet
WECT News reported from a nearby parking lot, showing video footage of a heavy police presence at the airport during the incident.The report also noted that the airspace above the airport was temporarily shut down. They also reported the grounding of flights while authorities handled the situation.
The evacuation comes just days after a similar incident at Kansas City International Airport.
In that case, thousands of travelers were forced to leave the terminal. The FBI then determined the threat was a hoax.
"Threats like these are a federal crime,' FBI Director Kash Patel said following the incident.
"FBI and law enforcement partners will fully investigate and bring to justice anyone responsible."
The incidents come at a tense time globally as security concerns remain heightened following the United States and Israel's joint military operation against Iran.
Iran has since launched retaliatory attacks against U.S. military bases across the Middle East, contributing to increased vigilance at transportation hubs across the United States.
