Police K-9s search plane following United Airlines bomb threat

Female security worker and German Shepherd dog searching for drugs or other illegal items in travel suitcases at airfield

Burlington International Airport was shut down for several hours following the discovery of a bomb threat that was left on a note in the bathroom of United Airlines flight 3613.

The plane had landed at the airport after departing from Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey with the note found prior to landing.

Pilots were notified about the shock finding only twenty minutes before the scheduled landing time and the information was passed onto air traffic control who begun the emergency response.

Passengers on board were made to wait two and a half hours while K-9 sniffer dogs and policed combed the plane, thankfully finding nothing suspicious or out of place – passengers were then allowed to disembark without their luggage and were briefed by police.

“What we have here is a safe group of people,” acting chief of police, Burlington Police Department, John Murad, said.

“We have a safe plane. We have a safe airport. We have procedures that were followed, and we have a successful outcome.”

Authorities also indicated there would be a federal investigation to follow.

The operator, Republic Airways, released a statement in response.

“Out of an abundance of caution, the aircraft taxied to a remote location in Burlington, and a precautionary security sweep of the aircraft was performed with no findings. We offer our sincere thanks to local first responders for their quick and professional response and to all aboard for their patience and understanding.”

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