Kansas City International Airport reopened Sunday (March 8) afternoon after a potential threat that led to an evacuation was investigated, the Kansas City Aviation Department confirmed via ABC News.
Airport spokesperson Jackson Overstreet said the terminal was reopened just after 2:00 p.m. local time following a reported threat around 11:15 a.m., which resulted in the entire terminal being evacuated and flights that had landed after the threat were held on the taxiway. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said “normal operations are resuming” and FBI Director Kash Patel said the treat was determined “not to be credible” in posts shared on social media.
FBI spokesperson Dixon Land had previously issued an emailed statement to the Associated Press confirming that the agency was “aware of the incident and our personnel are working with airport and law enforcement officials to determine the credibility of the threat.”
Logan Hawley, 29, told the AP that he was waiting to board a flight to Texas when he saw police and K9 units warned the terminal.
“Suddenly there was an airport worker saying ‘immediately evacuate,’ people got up fast and rushed out of there,” Hawley said,
An estimated 2,000 people were ushered onto the tarmac during the incident, according to the AP. Photos and videos showing large groups of passengers being led onto the tarmac or going through the terminal were shared on social media after the incident took place Sunday.
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