Sea-Tac security breach disrupts airport, delays passengers at security
Mar 20, 2013, 6:06 AM | Updated: 7:32 am
Cooper says 1,000 to 1,500 passengers in the C and D concourses and central terminal had to be rescreened later through security checkpoints. (AP Photo/File)
(AP Photo/File)
Officials at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport say a passenger entered a secure area through an exit lane Tuesday night, causing a security breach and prompting authorities to clear several concourses until the man was located.
Airport spokesman Perry Cooper told KING 5 someone went into a secure area through an exit around 7:30 p.m.
Port of Seattle police and Transportation Security Administration officials found the passenger at about 9 p.m. He was questioned and released. Cooper says the issue was a misunderstanding, “not anything of a security concern to passengers.”
Cooper says 1,000 to 1,500 passengers in the C and D concourses and central terminal had to be rescreened later through security checkpoints.
After the man was cleared, passengers began the rescreening process. Cooper says the checkpoint backup was cleared by about 10:30 p.m. He says airlines typically try to accommodate passengers caught in such a delay.
The TSA will investigate why it took Port of Seattle Police 90 minutes to locate the man.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
