Hoax bomb threat delays CM Stalin’s trip to US

CHENNAI: The security officials at Chennai airport were sent into a tizzy after receiving a threat stating that there was a bomb kept on a flight that was to leave for Dubai, carrying Chief Minister MK Stalin among other passengers, on Tuesday night. It later turned out to be a hoax, the 11th in the last two months.

The threat came in an anonymous email to the airport director around 8 pm on Tuesday. It warned that explosives were kept in a Dubai-bound flight and also inside the restrooms in the international departure terminal. The alert was immediately passed on to the security officers.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Stalin, who was to leave for the US, was to catch the Emirates flight to Dubai. The flight was scheduled to take off at 10 pm.

Soon, security officials checked the airport premises and inspected the flight thoroughly. Later, it was confirmed that there were no explosives in the aircraft or the restrooms as threatened and that it was a hoax threat.

Finally, the flight took off at 10.16 pm after a delay of about 16 minutes.

The airport police have registered a case and are investigating to nab the people behind this. Officials noted that this was the 11th hoax bomb threat that the airport has received in the last two months.