Florida Airport Shuts Down For 5 Hours Over Two Suspicious Packages

Authorities have arrested a suspect after finding two suspicious packages at the Jacksonville International Airport in Florida. The items prompted the shutdown of the airport for five hours and one of those packages has been deemed “destructive” by law enforcement.

The 39-year-old suspect was booked into jail early this morning and is being held on charges including making a false report about planting a bomb or explosive and manufacturing, possessing, selling or delivering a hoax bomb, according to an airport spokesman, reports the Associated Press.

All passengers were told they had to leave the airport’s terminal at about 6 p.m. last night. One package was found in the terminal and another in a parking garage, leaving the airport on lockdown until about 11 p.m.

The spokesman added that another suspect was arrested yesterday and questioned, but is not believed to be connected to the incident.

It’s unclear what exactly would have happened in a worst-case scenario, but a police spokesman did say that one of the packages “had some destructive nature” and was removed from the area.

Meanwhile, passengers and their friends and family arriving to pick them up at the airport were stuck for hours while officials investigated, and some incoming planes were kept on the tarmac until buses could shuttle passengers off aircraft.

As for any missed flights, the airport said individual carriers would assess how to best handle things after the airport reopened.

“The airlines will work to ensure all passengers will receive their luggage,” the airport posted on its official Twitter account.

Man in custody after device found at Fla. airport [Associated Press]

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