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Shooting scare delays flights at New York airport

When the travelers returned to the immigration area, there was renewed panic as armed police ran back and forth.

New York: Unfounded reports of shots fired at New York’s main airport triggered scenes of panic, evacuations and huge flight delays late on Monday. There was no immediate confirmation of injuries or arrests, but Port Authority (PAPD) police evacuated at least two terminals at John F. Kennedy International Airport as a precaution, and gave the all clear shortly after midnight. Spokesman Joe Pentangelo said Port Authority police had received an ultimately “unfounded” call about shots fired.

A ground stop was in place until 12:30 am (0430 GMT) for “security” reasons, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Around that time, New York Police Department (NYPD) Special Operations Division Chief Harry Wedin said all terminals had been “searched and cleared.” “All affected terminals will resume operations shortly. No shots were fired,” he added on Twitter.

Panic spread quickly through the crowd as police ordered people to lie on the ground, then evacuated them through corridors leading outside to the tarmac. “Get down on the ground! Down, down!” police officers yelled. At other times, they ordered: “Move, move, move!” Frightened children cried as people fled to safety.

A German traveler, who only gave her name as Gisela, said a policeman told her “There is an active shooter, run.” Police prohibited travelers from making phone calls or taking photographs. One man was arrested for trying to capture images of the chaotic scenes.

( Source : AFP )
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