JACKSON, Miss.–A bomb threat by a person on a plane headed into Mississippi’s largest airport had special FBI bomb search dogs brought in Wednesday. Even though no bomb was found, the Jackson-Evers International Airport praised the way the situation was handled.
The threat came from a phone call just after 2 o’clock Wednesday afternoon, said a news release from the airport. The caller said there was a bomb on a plane headed into Jackson and that there were bombs in the public parking area and in the airport terminal.
That set off a whole wave of action. The airport folks immediately called the FBI, Homeland Security, TSA, Jackson Police, Clinton Police, Pearl Police, and the Federal Aviation Administration.
The Highway Patrol and the Mississippi Air National Guard 172d Air Lift Wing Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Department were also called in.
The plane landed, was parked way away from the terminal building and was immediately searched by the special FBI dogs and high tech equipment. The same thing happened in the parking area and the terminal.
Even though no bomb was found, the airport is still on high alert.
“On behalf of the JMAA, Board of Commissioners, I commend the airport staff for their response in addressing the bomb threat this afternoon. Airport protocols were promptly implemented in accordance to the federal state and municipal guidelines. Also, I want to thank all of the law enforcement agencies and emergency response teams for their seamless cooperation in bringing this threat to a safe resolution,” said LaWanda D. Harris, Chair of the JMAA Board of Commissioners, in a news release.
“I’d like to thank TSA Federal Security Director David Wynn, Jackson Municipal Airport Authority Interim Chief Executive Officer Bonnie Wilson, Jackson Police Chief Lee Vance, the JPD bomb squad and all the law enforcement units from surrounding areas and intergovernmental agencies for their immediate response to ensure that the situation was resolved in a safe and timely manner,” said Jackson Mayor Tony Yarber.
