US airport in ‘explosives’ alert

BBC

An airport in Huntington, West Virginia has been evacuated after explosives tests on two containers in a female passenger’s luggage came up positive.

The containers were seen in the woman’s hand luggage and subjected to swab tests and sniffer dog examinations, both of which gave positive results.

Officials say the woman is of Pakistani origin and was travelling on a one-way ticket to Charlotte, North Carolina.

She has been detained and is now being questioned by FBI officials.

‘Highly sensitive’

According to the woman’s travel documents she is from Jackson, Michigan and was born in 1978.

Chris Yates from Jane’s Aviation told the BBC that both the swab and sniffer dog tests were extremely sensitive.

The likelihood that a container that had not come into contact with explosives would come up positive on both tests was extremely low, he said.

The containers have been moved to a remote area by robot for further tests, airport director Larry Salyers said.

About 100 passengers have been affected by the evacuation, airport officials say.

Bob Aaron from local TV station WCHS-TV is at the scene, and he told the BBC that security at the small regional airport is not very sophisticated, relying on a few security screeners.

The incident comes a week after UK intelligence officers say they foiled a plot to blow up planes using liquid explosives.

This is the second security alert at US airports in as many days.

On Wednesday a United Airlines passenger jet flying from London to Washington was diverted and escorted to Boston after an on-board disturbance.