Bomb threat at Sydney Airport: armed police search ANA flight from Tokyo

Armed Australian Federal Police officers boarded All Nippon Airways flight NH899 from Tokyo after threats were sent to Sydney Airport on Thursday evening, November 5, and carried out a precautionary search of passengers and luggage. Travellers were held for about two and a half hours; no explosives were found and no one was hurt.

Threat sent in the evening; flight searched on arrival

An Australian Federal Police spokesperson said the threats were sent to the airport just after 6 p.m. on Thursday. ANA flight NH899 touched down at Sydney's Kingsford Smith Airport at about 8 p.m. after its scheduled run from Tokyo's Haneda Airport. Passengers were first told to stay in their seats for what was described as a 20-minute security delay, but were held on board for about 90 minutes. After disembarking, they were told to line up in single file and drop their bags on the floor while a detection dog checked the luggage; at least five or six officers carrying semiautomatic rifles were present. The airport and the aircraft were then cleared to resume normal operations.

Passenger Patrick Wild, returning from a two-week holiday in Tokyo with his wife Narelle, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that officers told travellers in blunt terms to line up and drop their bags while the dog worked along the line.

Nearly 30 European flights threatened the same day; no link confirmed

The Sydney incident came as nearly 30 passenger flights across Europe (at least 27 by another count) were disrupted by bomb threats on the same day, with aircraft diverted, fighter jets scrambled to escort planes and passengers evacuated. The European Union has opened an aviation security information-sharing channel. No explosives have been found on any of the affected aircraft, and all the incidents have so far been treated as false alarms; no one has claimed responsibility. Authorities have not confirmed any link between the Sydney incident and the European wave of threats.

(Sources: ABC News; 7NEWS; Australian Federal Police.)