Police clear BWI-Marshall Airport after bomb threat

Police cleared Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport after a bomb threat was reported Wednesday, officials said.

The airport posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that "Law enforcement has cleared the vehicle in question" and that "operations will slowly return to normal."

The security incident affected flights, road access, and security checkpoints. 

A source familiar with the situation said that someone parked at the airport's curb claimed to have a bomb in a vehicle. The person was arrested, and a bomb squad investigated the scene, according to the source, who was not authorized to speak publicly.   

The incident took place in the public area of the airport rather than the Transportation Security Administration security checkpoints. But it caused the closure of two checkpoints to the main terminal, according to the source. Two other checkpoints remained open.   

Police closed the airport access road, the airport announced in a social media post.    

Air traffic controllers briefly held a departing flight. "There is an emergency situation at the airport, and we've stopped departures," an air traffic controller was heard saying over an aviation radio frequency.     

The transit agency that provides light rail service to the airport also reported that its trains are not accessing the airport.      

Spokesmen for the airport and airport police agency did not immediately comment further.