Bomb threat forces Lufthansa emergency landing at JFK, 500 evacuated
A Lufthansa plane was forced to make an emergency landing at New York's JFK Airport after a bomb threat was received via telephone, according to media reports. The NYPD Bomb Squad is en route to investigate the aircraft.
Bomb threat prompts jet to land at JFK Airport https://t.co/ycdSncy3rcpic.twitter.com/wtFBiqPAfy
— Fox5NY (@fox5ny) December 13, 2016
Flight 441 was traveling from Houston to Frankfurt, Germany, when it was forced to land following a threat received by the airline's corporate office, according to New Jersey's News 12. The crew was informed of the threat, and the pilot diverted the aircraft to JFK.
@setheandrews LH441 was diverted as a matter of precaution in coordination with the relevant authorities and the pilot. 1/2
— Lufthansa (@lufthansa) December 13, 2016
@setheandrews Passengers disembarked and LH staff will take care of them. The aircraft will be searched. /Jo 2/2
— Lufthansa (@lufthansa) December 13, 2016
Passengers were successfully evacuated and the aircraft has been isolated. Five hundred people were on board the plane, according to WPIX-TV.
#BREAKING: #Lufthansa#LH441 lands #JFK after bomb threat. Flight from #IAH to #FRA; threat unfounded but 530 people evacuated from #A380. pic.twitter.com/MxEvRk1kkY
— Josh Einiger (@JoshEiniger7) December 13, 2016
The New York Police Department's Bomb Squad, accompanied by bomb sniffer dogs, are traveling to the scene to search the Airbus A380 double-deck aircraft, Port Authority police spokesman Joseph Pentangelo told New York Daily News.
WPIX-TV reported that no suspicious article had been found, citing law enforcement. However, New York Daily News called the threat "credible," citing its own sources.
