Mass. National Guard Fighter Jets Escort Flight Following Threat
BOSTON (CBS/AP) -- The 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield escorted Air France Flight 22 from Paris to New York's JFK airport Monday after an anonymous telephone threat claimed a chemical weapon was on board.
"Out of an abundance of caution, Air France flight number 22 was escorted to John F. Kennedy airport by U.S. Air Force fighter jets following a phone threat," the FBI said in a statement. "There were no incidents or hazards reported on board the flight by either the passengers or its crew. The plane has been cleared."
The incident was part of a series of threats made against against at least five international flights at airports in New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts. All of the threats were found to be a hoax.
A threat also was made against a Paris-to-Boston airliner but was deemed not credible, Massachusetts Port Authority spokesman Matthew Brelis said. He didn't know the circumstances of the threat or if the plane was searched.
All planes were searched on the ground and nothing was found.
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