International terminal at San Francisco airport evacuated after discovery of ‘possibly incendiary’ package

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – Operations at the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) were disrupted for several hours on Friday night after a bomb threat prompted the evacuation of the international terminal, the San Francisco Police Department confirmed.

“Officers on scene located a suspicious package and deemed the item possibly incendiary,” said SFPD, who also confirmed that one suspect was in custody.

SFPD first learned of the threat at approximately 8:15 p.m. The international terminal was evacuated out of an abundance of caution, police said.

Travelers were told to avoid the international terminal “until further notice,” SFO tweeted at approximately 9:30 p.m. Those who had been inside the terminal gathered outside, awaiting the terminal’s reopening, video shows.

The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station at SFO was closed as well, preventing travelers from leaving or arriving at the station. Service on the airport’s AirTrain people mover, too, was suspended.

Both the police and SFO warned passengers to expect delays and disruptions to airport operations.

“International arrivals and departures have been disrupted,” SFO tweeted around 11:30 p.m. “Please check with your airline on the status of your flight.”

The international terminal had reopened shortly after midnight, and the airport resumed normal operations sometime thereafter, according to alerts issued by SFO.

SFPD is currently investigating the incident.