Fighter jets escort flight to JFK after threat
An Air France jetliner was escorted to John F. Kennedy International Airport by two U.S. fighter jets on Monday morning after an anonymous threat against the flight, the North American Aerospace Defense (NORAD) Command said.
NORAD said the action was taken as a “precautionary measure.”
{mosads}A law enforcement coordination center based in Maryland received an anonymous call for a “chemical weapons threat” aboard Air France Flight 22, ABC News reported. A caller said four flights had devices on board, though only specified the Air France flight, the network reported.
The Air France Airbus A-330 departed Paris on Monday morning and arrived in New York City after 10 a.m. on Monday, according to online flight tracking.
Two F-15 fighter jets scrambled to escort the flight as it headed toward New York, according to ABC, which reported it would be taken aside and investigated.
ABC reported that officials don’t consider the threat credible but were unable to immediately reach representatives for the airliner in France, which recognizes a state holiday separate from Memorial Day in the U.S.
— This report was updated at 1:34 p.m.
Read more from The Hill:
FBI investigating chemical weapons threats to international flights
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Regular the hill posts