Bomb Threats Force 2 Air France Flights from US to Paris to Land
Two Air France flights en route to Paris from the U.S. were diverted for several hours late Tuesday night due to anonymous bomb threats.
Reuters reports Flight 65 was coming from Los Angeles, when it was forced to land in Salt Lake City after a bomb threat was called in. The Airbus A-380 was carrying 497 people onboard, an airport official said.
Soon after, another bomb threat caused Air France Flight 55 from Washington's Dulles International Airport to divert to Halifax International Airport in Nova Scotia. All 262 passengers and crew on the Boeing 777 disembarked safely.
According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Halifax, Flight 55 was searched for explosive materials, but no details were disclosed.
The FBI said in a statement that Flight 65 contained no evidence that the threat was credible.
It is unconfirmed if both threats came from the same person.
Flight 65 passenger Keith Rosso took to Twitter to post a photo, and to thank the FBI, Air France, Delta and the Salt Lake City Airport for their efforts.
CNN interviewed another Flight 65 passenger, YouTube personality Trevor Moran. He said the staff initially told them the flight was landing due to "unsafe flying conditions."
"There were huge buses when we landed that they loaded us all on," Moran said. "Everyone on the flight is waiting in this lobby. Nobody knows what's going on."
Air France released a brief statement on the incident.
"As a precautionary measure and to conduct all necessary security checks, Air France, applying the safety regulations in force, decided to request the landings of both aircraft," the statement reads.
The threats come on the heels of the deadly attacks in Paris on Friday, in which armed men and suicide bombers killed at least 129 people. The Islamic State terror organization claimed responsibility for the attacks.
CNN law enforcement analyst Jonathan Gilliam called the bomb threats an act of terrorism.
"One thing that has to be clear is that we may call this a hoax, but the reality is, terrorism -- which we see going on in France right now, and here -- is a tactic used to affect a psychological or political change on a community. And that is what this is," he said.
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