Man charged with making bomb threat at Pittsburgh International Airport
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A man was charged with making a bomb threat at Pittsburgh International Airport on Wednesday.
A spokesperson for the Allegheny County Airport Authority said police responded around 4:30 p.m. after a "perceived threat" to an American Airlines flight scheduled to depart Pittsburgh to Philadelphia International Airport.
The spokesperson said a passenger who was late and missed boarding "made a threat against the aircraft to gate agents." The passenger was detained and all passengers were deplaned while officials investigated.
Allegheny County police said Hossein Dehnavifard, an Iranian national, was arrested after he said he had a bomb in his checked bag. Officials said he was flying to Iran.
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"The threat was made after he was not allowed to board the aircraft due to being late," police said in a release. "The threat was heard by two airline workers who each confirmed what the man stated."
"I saw a lot of law enforcement in the B Terminal prior to arriving in that central area," Rachel Riordan said. "Once I got there, I saw a crowd of people."
"The policemen and the elevated policemen with the body armor were storming through the B Terminal and running," Riordan added.
Operations at the airport were not impacted, the spokesperson said. Police said no threats were found.
Dehnavifard was charged with terroristic threats and threat to use weapons of mass destruction. He was taken to the Allegheny County Jail.
In a statement, American Airlines said, "Prior to departure, American Airlines Flight 1862 was met by law enforcement due to a possible security issue." A TSA spokesperson said it didn't have any involvement with this incident.
