Security scare closes British airport
12/18/2004, 9:10 a.m. ET
The Associated Press
DARLINGTON, England (AP) — Police arrested a Libyan man and blew up his luggage Saturday in a security scare that closed a small regional airport for about two hours.
No traces of explosives were found in an initial check of the luggage at Durham-Tees Valley Airport, police said.
It was not immediately clear why the 35-year-old man's baggage aroused suspicions, but he was arrested under the Terrorism Act, police said.
Passengers were evacuated from the flight, which was destined for London Heathrow airport, and army experts carried out a controlled explosion on the suspect's luggage.
Police said the suspect was an electrical engineer employed by a Libyan oil company and had been studying in Britain for six months. He had a ticket for a connecting flight to the Libyan capital, Tripoli, police said.
Richard Whitehouse, commercial manager at the airport, said six flights and about 750 passengers were delayed by the temporary suspension of operations.
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