Bomb scare at LAX involving plane from Houston

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Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Bomb scare at LAX involving plane from Houston
A phone call warning that a bomb was onboard a jetliner heading for LAX triggered a major response Tuesday morning.

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The FBI and a bomb squad assessed a possible threat situation at LAX following a phoned-in bomb threat on an aircraft from Houston, authorities said.

LAX police said they received information from TSA officials regarding a possible threat to Compass Air Flight 5931, which landed at LAX around 9 a.m.

Airline officials said the plane was the target of a "non-credible" threat, but LAX authorities screened the aircraft out of an abundance of caution. SWAT officers with guns drawn and a police dog screened the jet.

It was a tense situation for the 67 passengers and four crew members on the flight. Passengers were allowed off the plane shortly before 10 a.m.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command confirmed that two F-16 fighter jets escorted the plane as it approached LAX. When the threat was deemed non-credible, the jets returned to their base.

The aircraft was kept at a remote section of LAX. The plane was marked as American Eagle, which is operated by Compass Airlines.

An investigation continues into who made the threat.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.