Man Arrives Too Late For His Flight, Calls in Fake Bomb Threat

Image: PHOTO: Pittsburgh International Airport. (photo via Flickr/PIZW)
Image: PHOTO: Pittsburgh International Airport. (photo via Flickr/PIZW)
Rich Thomaselli
by Rich Thomaselli
Last updated: 12:25 PM ET, Sun May 14, 2023

If he is going to be banned from his flight, then everybody will.

That was the apparent feeling of one man, who was late for a connecting flight at Pittsburgh International Airport and was denied boarding onto the flight. So he told a couple of gate agents that he needed to make that flight and to collect his luggage because there were bombs in his bags.

Naturally, he was arrested.

The incident happened on a scheduled flight from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia on American Airlines.

"Responding police officers spoke to the American Airlines gate agents who reported the threat. The agents reported that a male who was standing adjacent to the ticket podium made a threat that his checked baggage contained a bomb. The threat was made after he was not allowed to board the aircraft due to being late. The threat was heard by two airline workers who each confirmed what the man stated," police said in the statement.

More than 100 passengers were evacuated from the airplane and a large portion of one of the concourses in the airport was shut down until police could conduct a thorough search.

The incident happened last Wednesday.

The man was identified as an Iranian national and taken to the county airport. There was no word on Friday whether his bond request was granted.

"Safety and security are our top priorities and we are thankful for our customers' understanding," an airline spokesperson said in a statement.

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