Husband forces flight to make an emergency landing after claiming wife was hiding a bomb: reports

A flight from Dallas to Chicago was forced to make an emergency landing in St. Louis on Sunday morning due to an alleged bomb threat, according to reports and authorities.

United Airlines Flight 380 was making its regular daily trip between Texas and Illinois when the pilot diverted to the Missouri airport about two-thirds of the way to the final destination “to address a potential security concern,” the airline told National Post in a statement.

Meanwhile, a source told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that one of the passengers claimed that his wife’s luggage contained a bomb. The outlet reported that an unidentified man was arrested, though it remains unclear whether he has been formally charged or if he remains in custody.

The remaining 118 passengers and five crew aboard the 737-700 were evacuated shortly after touching down in St. Louis around 8:40 a.m., airport director Rhonda Hamm Niebruegge told the Post-Dispatch.

The aircraft remained parked on the taxiway for roughly two hours while law enforcement evaluated the situation, as reported by Aviation A2Z.

United Airlines said law enforcement searched the aircraft but found no sign of an explosive device, allowing the passengers to reboard the plane and continue to Chicago, where they eventually landed more than five hours after their scheduled arrival.

According to People, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said the FBI is handling the investigation. National Post has contacted both for more information.

The incident follows another bomb threat on a United flight earlier this month.

As reported by The Washington Post, someone called the air traffic control tower at Virginia’s Reagan Washington National on Nov. 4, claiming that an inbound flight from Houston would explode upon landing if they didn’t deliver US$500,000 in cryptocurrency. Flights were immediately halted or diverted, but resumed within 90 minutes after law enforcement found no danger.

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