SAN Francisco International Airport has been evacuated, leaving thousands of passengers stranded outside the terminal amid reported police activity.
San Francisco Police have confirmed to The Sun that they are investigating reports of a bomb threat.
1
Police received a report of a bomb threat around 8:15 p.m. local time.
Officials arrived on the scene to find a suspicious package and evacuated the international terminal “out of an abundance of caution,” SFPD said.
A man has been arrested in the incident, the SFPD confirmed.
Authorities remain on site and continue the investigation.
The airport posted a statement via Twitter at 9:30 p.m. local time saying that the international terminal should be avoided “until further notice”.
“Due to ongoing police activity, the international terminal is being evacuated. Avoid the international terminal until further notice. AirTrain and BART service have been suspended. Passengers drop-off and pick-up only at the domestic terminals. More updates to follow.”
The city’s Bay Area Rapid Transit has issued a warning about the station’s closure due to police activity.
SFBARTAlert initially tweeted at 8:42 p.m. local time about service interruptions as a result of the incident.
An update tweet released a short time later states: “There is a station closure at San Francisco International Airport due to police activity. Samtrans bus service is available between Millbrae and SFO in both directions. Samtrans accepts BART tickets as fare.”
Traffic has reportedly been blocked in and around the airport as a result of the ongoing incident.
Multiple reports indicate that the international terminal has been evacuated and police have arrived.
Stranded passengers have used social media to share their experiences, with some estimating that thousands of people are outside the terminal.
Some have said their planes are being held on the runway due to the evacuation.
Other passengers have said they received a warning on their phones upon landing at the airport to avoid the terminal.
A passenger shared the warning on Twitter, stating: “Emergency Warning: Due to ongoing police activity, the international terminal is being evacuated. Please avoid.”
Passengers arriving at other terminals experience a very different travel experience.
“Surreal waiting for luggage at SFO knowing SFPD has found suspicious package and closed International Terminal,” one traveler wrote on Twitter.
“We are so used to conducting security drills and bomb threats that the response is a collective calm. Better safe than sorry.”
Terminals 1, 2 and 3 are domestic at SFO.
More to follow…Check Sun Online regularly for the latest news on this story.
The-sun.com is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, breathtaking photos and must-see video.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSunUS and follow us from our main Twitter account on @TheUSSun.