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Jets scrambled to escort Air France flight

May 25, 2015

Two US jets have escorted an Air France jet to New York's JFK airport as a precaution after a bomb threat was made against the flight. The FBI found no bomb after conducting a search.

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Symbolbild Passagierflugzeug Air France Bombendrohung
Image: picture-alliance/abaca/E. de Malglaive

An Air France pasenger jet en route from Paris to New York was escorted by two US fighter jets for the end of its journey after a bomb threat was made against the flight, officials said Monday.

Air France flight 22 landed safely at New York's John F. Kennedy airport and was searched. The FBI said no bomb was found onboard the Airbus Jet and gave the all clear.

The F-15 fighter jets were launched as a precaution to monitor the flight as it approached New York, according to Navy Lieutenant Commander Richlyn Ivey, a spokeswoman for US North American Aerospace Defense Command.

The bomb threat was first received by a police barracks in the US state of Maryland.

"The caller made a bomb threat involving commercial aviation," the Maryland state police said in a statement.

Local media reported several threats had been made Monday against additional carriers, including American Airlines and Saudi Arabian Airlines and that that a several threats had been called in at neighboring Newark Liberty airport..

The FBI did not immediately issue comment on those reports, and Ivey said the military had not received information about additional threats against commercial airlines.

bw/rc (Reuters, AFP, AP)