Texas Department of Public Safety officials said that a bomb scare at the El Paso International Airport on February 17 was caused by a juvenile making a false report.
The bomb threat was directed against an American Airlines flight and caused multiple agencies to investigate, including the FBI.
“Safety and security are our top priorities, and we thank our customers for their understanding and cooperation and our team members for their professionalism,” American Airlines said in a statement, per AP News.
“I have a bomb and would like to share a photo,” said a message sent to passengers via Apple AirDrop while the plane was still taxiing, reported KFOX 14.
Because of the threat, the American Airlines flight returned to the gate.
The plane was scheduled to leave the airport for Chicago that day with 125 passengers and a flight crew of eight.
A bomb squad searched the plane, luggage, and passengers but did not find anything related to explosive material on the American Airlines plane. The status of the threat was determined not to be credible.
A juvenile reportedly confessed to sending the AirDrop, according to officials. Evidence supporting the confession was allegedly found later on his cell phone, which was promptly seized.
The juvenile was reportedly on a school trip from Pittsburgh with Central Catholic High School. The trip involved service, education, and immersion and was centered on the crisis at the border, a spokesperson for the school told KFOX 14.
Issuing a bomb threat while on board a plane is considered a felony, according to the El Paso County Attorney’s Office, per Simple Flying.
The unnamed juvenile is being prosecuted for False Alarm or Report – Emergency and was released to the El Paso County Juvenile Probation Department. His age has not been released.
After authorities gave the flight the all-clear, the plane departed El Paso for Chicago, as originally planned.
