Luton Airport Evacuated - Suspicious Item Found. What The Funk?
All incoming flights are suspended and the approach road is closed after a suspicious funky item is found in the security search area.
Bomb Defusal/Disposal Vehicle Has Arrived!
Pictures on Twitter showed hundreds of travellers crowded outside the terminal, and a bomb disposal van at the scene.
All incoming flights were suspended and the approach road to the Bedfordshire airport was closed.
But a Luton Airport statement said the site was now back open and operating as normal.
"A controlled explosion was conducted at 5.15pm and it was confirmed that the item destroyed, although deemed suspicious, did not present a wider danger," the statement said.
Sources said the alert was sparked by a checked-in suitcase that was picked up by a security scanner.
A spokeswoman for the airport previously said: "Passengers are advised to contact their airlines to establish the status of their flights. We understand passengers will be frustrated by the delays they are experiencing.
"We are working closely with the police to ensure passengers are not inconvenienced unnecessarily but we must ensure that the safety and security of all our passengers and staff remains our top priority."
The roads between Junction 10A of the M1, and leading up to the airport were closed, although the A1081 and London Road towards Luton town centre remained open to traffic travelling from the M1.
A spokesman for easyJet said: "Whilst this is out of our control we apologise for the inconvenience caused and would like to thank passengers for their patience and co-operation."
Britain recently raised its terrorism alert to its second-highest level, saying Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq posed the UK's greatest-ever security threat.
Source Sky News.
Source Sky News.
