Suspected explosives found after bomb threat grounds Indonesian flight

Suspected explosives found after bomb threat grounds Indonesian flight

2011-05-25 20:09:03 GMT+7 (ICT)

JAKARTA, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) --Bomb threats forced a Garuda Indonesia flight to be grounded in the country's East Java province on Wednesday, as airport officials confirmed finding suspected bomb packages.

Supranyoto, the commander of Juanda International Airport, which is located in the capital of the East Java province, Surabaya, said a bomb threat had been faxed to airport authorities by an unidentified person, Antara news agency reported.

"The general manager of state airport operator Angkasa Pura I phoned me, saying he had received a fax containing a bomb threat," Supranyoto said. "According to the fax, two Garuda planes serving the Surabaya-Jakarta route would be blown up."

As a result, Garuda flight GA-313 was grounded shortly after 11 a.m. local time for over two hours. Airport personnel removed passengers from the aircraft, which was later taken to an isolated area where a bomb-defusing squad checked the plane.

According to reports, a plastic bag containing liquid material used to make explosives was discovered in the aircraft, which was later cleared and departed to Jakarta at 1:40 p.m. local time.

Security personnel also found three packages containing suspected explosive material in different areas of the airport, including one outside the terminal waiting room between national departures and arrivals.

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