Woman said bomb was on flight after missing plane in Florida, officials say

Florida police said a woman was arrested this week for falsely claiming that a bomb was on a plane.

In a statement, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office said officers responded to a call of a bomb threat at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport Monday evening.

The sheriff’s office said three airline employees told deputies that Marina Verbitsky, 46, of Chicago claimed a bomb was in her checked luggage on the plane.

The employees said Verbitsky made the claim after being informed that she and her friends had arrived too late to board the plane, according to police.

The plane, which was already making its way to the runway, was rerouted so that passengers could be evacuated and the plane could be searched. No bomb was found.

Broward County authorities did not say the airline. The Hill has reached out to the sheriff’s office for comment.

Verbitsky was immediately taken into custody and charged with one count of false reporting concerning planting a bomb, explosive, or weapon of mass destruction, police said.