Homeland Security Investigates, Speculation that Terrorist Continue to Probe U.S. Logistics and Security
Local and federal authorities are investigating a suspicious package(s) aboard a UPS plane that landed at Philadelphia International Airport at about 9 a.m. from Paris, France.
Packages originating from Yemen were stopped and were originally reported not to have explosives. It is presumed that there was an effort to see what type of package could get on a plane. Originally bombs were reported on the aircraft. Then later in the afternoon — about 3:30 p.m. CDT — President Barack Obama speaking from the White House said that investigators discovered a “credible terrorist threat” against the United States with explosive material found on two suspicious packages that were bound for the United States from Yemen. The packages were found in Dubai and the United Kingdom.
A second plane at Philadelphia, from Cologne, Germany, was isolated near the UPS terminal. The plane from Germany landed in Philadelphia at about 8 a.m. and was scheduled to depart at 10:30 a.m. for Louisville, Kentucky. At about the same time, another plane landed safely at Newark International Airport and was isolated, and a fourth plane en route to Chicago was detained in England.
A crew member on the plane headed for Philadelphia from Paris notified authorities on approach about a suspicious package. The two UPS crew members safely exited the aircraft after landing in a remote area of the airport.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) released a statement and said they “are aware of and monitoring reports of potentially suspicious items onboard cargo flights that landed safely at Newark Liberty and Philadelphia International airports.”
A UPS spokesperson confirms there were suspicious packages aboard the planes in Philly and New Jersey.
A suspicious package in England sparked all of the scrutiny and investigations in the United States east coast.
At 11:50 a.m. CDT (prior to the announcement by President Barack Obama) the situation was considered an international plot or hoax at the very least. Presumably to test logistics and security. John O. Brennan, Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Adviser for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, stated that dry runs typically do not involve explosives.
An Emirates Airways jetliner was escorted by fighter jets because a package was tracked from Yemen and known to be in the aircraft. The action was a precaution, and no known threat existed to the aircraft.
UPS and FedEx have suspended all packages from Yemen.