New York, Feb 21, (tca/dpa/GNA) – A United Airlines flight from Newark to Los Angeles, was forced to make an emergency landing in Chicago Wednesday morning, after a threatening note was discovered in the plane’s bathroom, police said.
United Airlines Flight 1533, packed with more than 200 travelers, lifted off from Newark Liberty International Airport around 6:05 a.m., CBS News reported. It was due to arrive at Los Angeles International Airport before 10 a.m., but the pilot had to change course, instead touching down at O’Hare International Airport around 7:40 a.m. after crewmembers reported a “Level Two” threat.
Witnesses and law enforcement sources told WLS that a passenger scuffled with crewmembers mid-air, and a bomb threat was found written on a note in a lavatory a short time later.
Police confirmed the Boeing 787 was evacuated upon arrival in Chicago, where they then combed through the aircraft in a safe location. A bomb-sniffing K9 uncovered a suspicious bag during their search, and a robot was deployed to move it, KTLA reported.
An airline source said the dog connected a scent from the bathroom note to the bag.
“They are taking us back to a terminal. I guess they will go through bags, maybe question us,” one passenger, who was not named, told CBS late Wednesday morning. “We were forced to leave all of our stuff on the plane and have no idea what is happening next.”
The passenger who checked the seemingly suspicious bag is being questioned by police, and the FBI said it is investigating.
GNA