Fake Bomb Prompts Evacuation Of Peoria International Airport
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Peoria International Airport was evacuated and shut down for about three hours on Thursday, after baggage screeners found what appeared to be a bomb in a woman's luggage.
Around 6:30 a.m., Transportation Security Administration security personnel discovered a suspicious package in checked baggage, and evacuated the area while police responded to the scene, according to TSA spokesman Mike McCarthy.
Peoria County Sheriff Mike McCoy said the package contained an aerosol can, a mason jar filled with liquid, a timing device, wires, and three red sticks labeled "dynamite."
The items that looked like dynamite on X-rays at the airport today are dog toys used to train people about dynamite pic.twitter.com/0KhuX6yyGa
— Peoria County Sheriff's Office - IL (@PCSO_IL) March 31, 2016
McCoy said a woman flying to Dallas had checked the bag, and explained the device is used for safety training at abortion clinics, and police confirmed that with her employer.
"She gives out training for abortion clinics to let them know what to look for at the clinics," he said.
A bomb squad confirmed the device was not a real bomb. Police said the three sticks labeled dynamite were dog toys.
The "all clear" was given by about 9:30 a.m., and the airport was reopened. Several flights were delayed as a result of the incident.
The woman was being questioned by the sheriff's office and the FBI.