MERIDIAN —
Two pieces of luggage left unattended outside the Meridian Regional Airport Thursday caused officials there to shut down the terminal and evacuate all non-essential personnel until it could be determined if the baggage was harmless.
According to Tom Williams, executive director of the Meridian Airport Authority, officials with the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) notified the Meridian Police Department about 11 a.m. when the luggage was discovered behind a row of bushes near the north corner of the terminal.
"The TSA deemed the baggage suspicious and officials with the Meridian Police Department agreed, so for the safety of everyone the decision was made to shut down the terminal," Williams said.
Members of the MPD, TSA, Mississippi Highway Patrol, the Meridian Department of Homeland Security and the Lauderdale County Emergency Management Agency responded to the scene. MPD units closed off the north and south entry/exit points of the airport.
"At this point a request from the TSA to bring in a bomb dog was made," MPD Chief James Reed said. "The bomb team came in from Taylorsville to try and determine if there was any danger."
Reed said at about 1 p.m. the bomb dog and its handler with the MHP arrived, but detected no explosives during a search of the baggage and the area.
By 2 p.m. the baggage was removed. The terminal opened to flights and passengers shortly afterwards. A Delta flight from Atlanta that touched down at about 1:30 p.m. waited on the tarmac before offloading passengers and taking on others headed to Georgia.
Williams said no charges are pending against the owner of the baggage, which is now in the unclaimed luggage area of the airport.
"The luggage was examined and nothing illegal or out of the ordinary was found," Williams said. "It was just filled with personal belongings."
Williams said this is the first time a bomb scare has ever occurred at the airport in the 26 years he has worked there. He applauded the work of all those involved.
"We train with all these agencies on aircraft emergencies and this worked out really well," said Williams.
Local News
Related Photos
-
Emergency agency personnel and Meridian Police Department units responded Thursday morning to a report of two suspicious packages at the Meridian Regional Airport on Highway 11 South. The terminal was closed down and evacuated until the packages were deemed harmless. Brian Livingston
Discussion
Bomb scare closes airport
- Local News
-
-
Patriotic program
Naval Technical Training Center (NTTC) Command Senior Chief Chris Leonard and
NTTC Commanding Officer Cmdr. Brett St. George accept artwork from Northeast Lauderdale
Elementary School Special Needs Teacher Jennifer Tabb and student Cody Vice. -
Library scheduled to reopen May 20
The wait has been longer than anticipated, but Meridian/Lauderdale County Public Library will once again open – just in time for registration for the library's Summer Reading Program.
-
MHS students earn closer look at medical field
“I’d like to explore my options … I want to see what nursing has to offer.”
That’s what Redarius Fowler said when asked why he was taking part in Thursday’s unique camp, “Experience the O.N.E: Hospital Stay.” Fowler was one of 20 Meridian High School male ninth graders taking a part in the unique opportunity. -
High 5
Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew Denny gives a high-five to a student from Northeast
Lauderdale Elementary School Special Needs Class following the students performance at Naval Air Station Meridian. -
Incubator farm to host Agricultural Field Day
Farmers, consultants, and others interested in Mississippi agriculture will have an opportunity to hear about results of current research and demonstration projects during the upcoming Spring Agricultural Field Day at the Alcorn State University Incubator Farm, 18600 Highway 397, in Preston, according to Dr. Franklin Chukwuma, director of Off-Campus Centers.
-
Antique Alley in in full swing
The consensus among those who were laying out their wares for all to see Thursday during the annual U.S. 11 Antique Alley and Yard Sale was that the crowds have been good and the weather even better.
- Feds close down another Gordon business
- The Price Is Right, Live! at Pearl River Resort
- MPD confiscates gambling machines, arrests made
-
Chase ends in arrest
- More Local News Headlines
-
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids
Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree
Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics
Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot
Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction
Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind
Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
Raw: School Bus Crash Injures Five Children
Quick Response Saved Baby on Phila. Train Tracks
One Million Evacuated As Cyclone Hits Bangladesh
