by Donald Wood
Last updated: 5:00 PM ET, Mon February 20, 2017
On Monday, 11 people reportedly passed through an unscreened security lane at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The unidentified travelers are believed to have boarded flights to unknown destinations.
According to NBCNews.com, all 11 of the passengers passed through the security checkpoint without being screened by Transportation Safety Administration officers, including three of the travelers bypassing the unmanned area despite setting off a metal detector.
Officials from the TSA said the agency was confident that the 11 passengers posed no threat to the airport or their respective flights. Also, the TSA said it would investigate the incident, discipline those responsible and use the incident as a way to better educate its employees.
Sources told NBCNews.com that the security breach occurred in Terminal 5 of JFK airport at 6:05 a.m. local time, but TSA agents at the facility waited two hours before notifying police. The Port Authority Police Department said this was a violation of protocol, which requires TSA officers to contact authorities immediately.
After notifying police, TSA agents and the Port Authority reviewed photos and video screen grabs from security cameras in Terminal 5, but they were unable to locate any of the 11 passengers who bypassed the screening process.
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