Bomb Threat Enforce Two Air France Flights To Be Diverted

Less than a week after horrifying Islamic State terror attack in France, two Air France flights from two cities in U.S. were diverted to two separate locations due to bomb threat.

Reuters, reported that the flights bound for Paris and more than 700 passengers and crew were safely taken off the planes, officials said. One of the flights. Flight 65, an Airbus A-380 carrying 497 passengers and crew that departed from Los Angeles, landed safely in Salt Lake City. The other one was Boeing 777's Flight 55, from Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C., was diverted to Halifax International Airport in Nova Scotia, and all 262 passengers and crew members had safely disembarked.

Security have escalated high alert have since Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for attacks in Paris that killed 129 people. Reuter also noted that Russia has said the islamic terrorist group was also responsible for Russian plane crash on Oct. 31, returning to St. Petersburg from Sharm al-Sheikh resort in Egypt, killing all 224 on board. The Russian A321 airliner was brought down in Sinai and Russian officials say they found trace of explosives in the debris.

Salt Lake Fox 13 News reported that at about 7 p.m., Salt Lake City International Airport received information of Flight 65 was diverted to Salt Lake City Airport due to bomb threat. Soon after the plane made an emergency landing, airport police and FBI responded to scene and disembarked all 497 passengers and crews. All passengers and crew are kept in the customs area, while search was commenced to find potential bomb threat. FBI Special Agent Todd Palmer of the Salt Lake City division told the news, "Several law enforcement agencies are working to determine the nature of the threats which caused the aircraft to divert," 

Shortly after the Air France Flight 65 landed in Salt Lake City, similar threat also received in Flight 55 from Washington DC on its way to Paris. The plane was then diverted to Nova Scotia to make emergency landing in Halifax Stanfield International Airport.

Canadian Broadcasting News reported that Flight 65 made the emergency landing at Halifax Stanfield International Airport at 10:15 p.m. local time. It took an hour and 15 minutes to remove all 262 passengers to secure the area in airport terminal, as Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) search the plane using police dogs trained in explosives. 

The planes are now safe and cleared. Flight 65 landed in Salt Lake City is expected to resume travels to Paris at 12:01 a.m local time, while Flight 55 is still in RCMP custody.