Update August 4, 2009: Not a prank after all…
LaGuardia Terminal Evacuated for Hours over Fake Bomb Scare; Man Arrested
1010WINS
01 August 2009
New York (AP) — The central terminal at LaGuardia Airport was evacuated Saturday morning after a man entered the building with a fake bomb in a bag, police said.
The scare was over in a few hours, but it disrupted travel plans for thousands of people as flights were postponed and vehicle traffic to the airport was briefly halted. Delays also rippled across the country as airlines adjusted their schedules.
The trouble began shortly after 5 a.m., when a passenger checking in for a flight began attracting attention because of bizarre behavior.
Authorities say 32-year-old Scott McGann was detained when he didn’t respond to questions. A search of his bag turned up an assemblage of batteries and wires that police thought was intended to look like a bomb.
McGann had a ticket for a United Airlines flight to Chicago, with connecting flights to Oakland.
He faces charges including placing a false bomb in a transportation facility and making terroristic threats. Read the rest of this article here.