United Airlines: Flight quickly diverts over bomb threat after suspicious bag found and note saying plane would blow up

A United Airlines flight diverted over a bomb threat after a suspicious bag was found and a note in the plane's bathroom
Isabella Boneham
By Isabella Boneham
22nd Feb 2024, 6:46am
A United Airlines flight diverted over a bomb threat after a suspicious bag was found and a note in the plane's bathroom. (Photo: Getty Images)A United Airlines flight diverted over a bomb threat after a suspicious bag was found and a note in the plane's bathroom. (Photo: Getty Images)
A United Airlines flight diverted over a bomb threat after a suspicious bag was found and a note in the plane's bathroom. (Photo: Getty Images)

A United Airlines flight travelling to Los Angeles International Airport was diverted to Chicago on Wednesday morning (21 February) after a bomb threat was reported. The United Flight 1533 took off from Newark Liberty International Airport at 6:05 am and landed at O'Hare Airport at 7:44 am Chicago time. 

KTLA reported that a suspicious bag was found aboard the flight. An initial police investigation also found a note in the bathroom stating the plane would blow up. 

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The passengers were evacuated from the plane and the aircraft was searched at a remote location inside O'Hare Airport, police said in a statement. An airline source told CBS that police dogs were deployed to the plane upon landing, with one K-9 finding a suspicious bag and a robot was deployed to remove it. The source also said that a dog connected a scent from the threatening note and the bag.

Police are questioning the passenger who checked the bag and the FBI is investigating the incident. There were 202 passengers on board the flight and many took to social media to share their experience.

A United Airlines flight diverted over a bomb threat after a suspicious bag was found and a note in the plane's bathroom. (Photo: Getty Images)A United Airlines flight diverted over a bomb threat after a suspicious bag was found and a note in the plane's bathroom. (Photo: Getty Images)
A United Airlines flight diverted over a bomb threat after a suspicious bag was found and a note in the plane's bathroom. (Photo: Getty Images)

One passenger Rashad Robinson posted on X, formerly Twitter: “Someone allegedly went into the bathroom and made a bomb threat on the bathroom window and now we've made an emergency landing in Chicago. We are being held on buses away from the plane about a mile away from the main O'hare airport. They are going to go through everyone's bags and we don't have a clear plan for getting to LA or back to Newark.”

Another passenger described the evacuation off the plane, telling CBS: "I would say two hours in, they said we were making an emergency landing in Chicago, they didn't say why. We couldn't get out of our seats, so when they landed, they said that someone had written on the mirror in one of the bathrooms that there was a bomb.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In a statement shared with The Independent a spokesperson from FBI Chicago said there was no “imminent” threat to the public. A statement from United Airline read: "United flight 1533 diverted to Chicago this morning due to a potential security concern. The flight landed safely, was met by local law enforcement and departed for Los Angeles again earlier this afternoon."

Related topics:ChicagoCBSPoliceAirports

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.