Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Terminal Evacuated Following Security Concern

February 10, 2004

Airport Terminal Evacuated Following Security Concern 
The Associated Press


A security breach Tuesday forced about 200 passengers
out of a terminal and off some airplanes at Ronald
Reagan Washington National Airport.

"We did have a woman wander away from the screening
area as she was waiting to be secondary screened" in
Terminal A, said Amy von Walter, a spokeswoman for the
Transportation Security Administration. "The decision
was made to evacuate the terminal and re-screen all
the passengers."

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spokesman
Tom Sullivan said three planes parked at Terminal A
gates were emptied, and those passengers were among
the people evacuated around noon.

"After the evacuation we had K-9 teams and law
enforcement search the secure side," said von Walter,
adding that planes parked at Terminal A gates were
also re-screened.

Von Walter said re-screening began 15 minutes after
the terminal was cleared. The woman who caused the
concern was never found, though von Walter said she is
believed to have been among those who went through
security again.

According to Sullivan, it took about 20 minutes to get
everyone back in the terminal, and things were back to
normal by early afternoon.


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