As Chicago-area travelers scramble to get out of town ahead of an incoming winter storm set to bring snow, dangerously cold temperatures, "blizzard conditions" and wind gusts in excess of 50 miles per hour to the Midwest later this week, passengers in a busy area near Terminal 1 at O'Hare International Airport were briefly relocated Tuesday to a different area due to a 'suspicious package,' authorities say.
According to a statement sent to NBC 5 from the Transportation Security Administration, TSA officials were notified at 6:09 a.m. that "a passenger had told an airline employee behind the counter that they had a bomb in their bag and left the scene."
The statement goes on to say that the Chicago Police Department cleared the area, and passengers from two checkpoints in Terminal 1 -- where United Airlines check-in kiosks and ticketing counters are located -- were redirected to a different checkpoint.
Live video and photos from the scene showed police tape outlining a cleared-out portion of the terminal, along with a K-9 searching the area. Later in the hour, NBC 5 observed the police tape being removed.
"The bag was cleared by 6:50 a.m.," TSA said, adding that screening operations have resumed as normal.
The Chicago Fire Department confirmed to NBC 5 that they at 6:45 a.m. call responded to reports of a 'suspicious package' at Terminal 1.
In response to an inquiry from NBC 5, the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Federal Aviation Association indicated they were looking into the matter.
Local
United Airlines has not responded to NBC 5's request for comment.
No other immediate details were provided. This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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