Suspicious package forces hour-long evacuation at Detroit airport
(AP) - Part of a terminal at Detroit Metropolitan Airport was evacuated for more than an hour Thursday morning after bomb-sniffing dogs indicated a suspicious package on its lower level, authorities said.
The package was reported about 9:49 a.m. at a loading dock of McNamara Terminal, the Detroit hub for Northwest Airlines flights, Transportation Safety Administration spokeswoman Lara Uselding said.
Wayne County airport police and an explosives ordinance disposal unit responded to the area and removed the package about 10:50 a.m., she said.
The package was determined to be safe for removal and taken from the area, airport spokesman Mike Conway said. He wouldn't describe the package, what it contained or say what manner of disposal was used.
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After the package was discovered, a 300-foot radius around it was cleared, said Scott Roberts, another airport spokesman.
The check-in, baggage claim and roadway just outside the terminal were evacuated and closed until 11 a.m. Security protocol at the airport, located about 25 miles west of Detroit, calls for clearing a 300-foot radius in such cases, Roberts said.
The Transportation Safety Administration was investigating the incident, Uselding said.
The terminal also serves carriers including Continental Airlines Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)