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  • News Desk
  • Jan 6th, 2010
  • Comments Off on Hazardous substance found in bag at California airport
A hazardous substance was found in a piece of checked luggage at an airport in Bakersfield, California, sending two security officers to the hospital and prompting an evacuation of the terminal. A spokeswoman for the US Transportation Security Administration, Suzanne Trevino, told local television "it sounds like, at this point, it's a hazmat (hazardous materials) issue, it's not terrorist-related or anything like that. It's not a bomb."

Security jitters have hit the United States since a botched attempt on Christmas Day to blow up a Detroit-bound flight from Amsterdam using explosives smuggled on board. Washington, blaming the incident on a wing of al Qaeda, has ordered increased security for airlines, including additional screening measures for passengers.

Trevino said the owner of the bag in Bakersfield, a man who was not immediately identified, was taken into custody by Kern County officials. Two TSA employees who were working near the suspicious bag were taken to a nearby hospital where they were treated and released, but Trevino said she did not know if they had shown any signs of illness.

Copyright Reuters, 2010


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