San Francisco international airport terminal evacuated after bomb threat

Airport terminal evacuated ‘out of an abundance of caution’ and one person has been detained

Hundreds of passengers were evacuated from the San Francisco airport’s international terminal on Friday night after a bomb threat.

One person has been taken into custody, reported the Associated Press, after officers found a suspicious package they described as a potentially “incendiary” device.

The airport’s official Twitter handle said it has now been given the clear to resume operations.

“Police have cleared the Int’l Terminal. SFO resumes normal operations,” said the tweet on Saturday.

The threat was reported at 8.15pm local time after the suspicious package was discovered at the airport, the San Francisco police department said.

The terminal was immediately evacuated “out of an abundance of caution”, with hundreds of passengers forced to leave. Passenger drop-offs and pick-ups were limited to the airport’s domestic terminals.

The airport announced the evacuation at 9.28pm due to “ongoing police activity”. The airport’s AirTrain and the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) trains were suspended, authorities said.

In an update, the airport said the terminal remained closed as police continued to investigate. The international garages were later reopened and vehicles were allowed to exit.

“Expect delays as this may interrupt current airport operations,” said Robert Rueca, a San Francisco Police Department spokesperson.

The airport has now resumed its AirTrain service and said the BART trains service would restart at 6.25am local time.

Videos on social media showed passengers waiting outside the airport terminal.

A spokesperson for the airport did not immediately return a request for comment, said the Associated Press.