This Article is From Jan 25, 2015

Fighter Jets Escort US Airliners After Bomb Threat

Fighter Jets Escort US Airliners After Bomb Threat

A police officer at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport where two airplanes were being searched after receiving bomb threats on January 24, 2015. (Associated Press)

Washington: A pair of F-16 fighter jets escorted two US commercial airliners to their landing in Atlanta on Saturday following a bomb threat online, an aviation spokesman said.

A threat posted to Twitter prompted the jets to be scrambled for the planes arriving from Portland and Milwaukee, said Preston Schlachter from the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

A Twitter user made threats earlier in the afternoon regarding smuggling bombs aboard the aircrafts.

Schlachter described the escort as a "precautionary measure," and said the planes landed safely.



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