Device To Purify Water Led To Terminal Evacuation
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The object that prompted a weekend evacuation of the smaller of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport's two terminals turned out to be a device used for water purification, an airport official said Monday.
Airport spokeswoman Melissa Scovronski said the woman traveling with the device told authorities she needed it for medical purposes.
The device was found by Transportation Security Administration officials about 4:30 p.m. Sunday in a piece of checked baggage in Terminal 2, also known as the Humphrey terminal. The Bloomington Police Department bomb squad was called, and the airport terminal was evacuated for about two hours while authorities investigated.
Scovronski says the woman traveling with the device was heading to Anchorage, Alaska, and her flight was delayed due to the evacuation. Once police determined the luggage was hers, she was questioned, then allowed to continue with her travels.
No criminal charges were filed.
It was the second time in a little more than a month that the Humphrey terminal was evacuated for what turned out to be a water filtration device in checked luggage. The man in the previous incident also was not charged.
The Humphrey terminal handles less than 10 percent of the airport's passenger volume.
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