Suspicious backpack clears Long Beach Municipal Airport

Friday November 29, 2002

LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) Holiday travelers were evacuated from Long Beach Municipal Airport for about 90 minutes Friday after a security scan of a carryon bag set off bomb detection equipment, an airport official said.

The bag belonged to a man who was stopped at a security checkpoint about 5:15 p.m. at the south boarding lounge, said Sharon Diggs-Jackson, an airport spokeswoman.

When the bag set off a bomb detector, passengers in the airport were evacuated into the parking lots, Diggs-Jackson said.

Four flights were delayed while the Long Beach Police Department's bomb squad checked the bag.

The bag was found to be harmless and flights resumed at 6:40 p.m., Diggs-Jackson said.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)