There was a heavy police presence Tuesday afternoon at Lafayette Regional Airport following reports of a suspicious package found inside the terminal.
KATC spoke with travelers as the situation unfolded, many of whom were stuck as law enforcement shut down the terminal and surrounded the area.
According to airport officials, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) identified a suspicious package, prompting an immediate shutdown of the airport. Hazmat teams, along with fire and police crews, quickly responded and secured the scene.
Denzel and Roxanne Reed had just arrived at the airport, ready to begin their summer vacation.
"The moment we got here, there were already fire trucks and ambulances," Denzel said.
When asked if he had experienced anything like this before, he responded:
"No. And I hope something like this never happens again."
For a period of time, no one was allowed in or out of the airport.
"After that, we found out there was some sort of suspicious package," Reed added." Then next thing you know, there’s a bomb threat—and the airport is closed."
"Thank God they caught whatever it was," one traveler told KATC. "We’ve just been following it on social media." Another passenger told us the situation didn’t shake her confidence in traveling.
"No, not at all," the traveler said. They worked quickly to check whatever it was — and it seems like they had protocols in place."
In a statement to KATC, the FBI said the persons interviewed in connection with today's incident at the Lafayette airport were released to continue their travels.
The items that set off this morning's excitement at the Lafayette Airport were car parts.
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UPDATE: Here's the latest from the airport administration:
Executive Director Steven Picou stated, “At 11:38 a.m. routine operations resumed at LFT. An investigation by law enforcement determined that a package detected in the TSA scanning area was not hazardous and presented no threat to LFT passengers or operations staff. Please check directly with your airline for the most up to date flight information.”
UPDATE: We have something from the FBI:
"The FBI coordinated with Louisiana State Police and the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office to investigate a suspicious object found by TSA at the Lafayette Regional Airport. Out of abundance of caution, an isolated area of the airport was evacuated briefly. The object was determined to be no threat to the public and the airport has resumed normal operations."
UPDATE: As of noon, the airport is back open.
State Police say there were no explosive devices, no hand grenades, found in this investigation.
We're working to get more information.
Some flights have been delayed. Click here to check for flight schedules.
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Multiple emergency units are on the scene at the Lafayette Regional Airport.
Executive Director Steven Picou advises, “Law enforcement agencies are investigating a suspicious package that was detected during the TSA scanning process. As a precaution, an isolated section of the LFT terminal has been evacuated. At this time, flights have been delayed. Please monitor flight information from your airline for the most up to date schedule.”
Police say that no arrests have been made, but several people have been detained.
Click here to check for flight schedules.
KATC has a crew on the scene, here's a live from Paris Flannigan:
And here are some pictures from the scene:
