Bomb Threat on Twitter Delays Delta Flight
A Delta flight out of Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport (ATL) was delayed on Wednesday night due to a bomb threat issued against the plane on Twitter.
Flight 2234 with service to Austin, Texas, was delayed after officials were alerted in the early afternoon to the threat against the Airbus A321 aircraft. Officers from Atlanta's police department searched the plane for explosive devices, but determined the plane was safe, and the person making the threats was not on board the flight.
"Atlanta Police were informed of a bomb threat to an inbound flight made over Twitter," a spokesperson for the city's police department told TPG in a statement. "After the plane landed, officers completed a search of the plane and were unable to locate any hazardous items or packages. It appears that the person who made the threats was not on the plane at the time of its arrival to Atlanta. Normal operations were later restored."
Delta confirmed the flight to Austin was delayed and stated the aircraft was taken out of service due to "an abundance of caution."
"Out of an abundance of caution the aircraft was taken out of service prior to boarding for a security search by law enforcement," the airline said in a statement. "Passengers were reaccommodated on a different aircraft to their destination."
The FBI will be further investigating the incident.
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