U.S. officials called out the fighter jets to escort an Air France plane to the ground Monday after it was learned the craft was under a chemical-weapons watch.
Air France Flight 22, exiting Charles De Gaulle Airport enroute to New York's Kennedy Airport, was escorted by two fighter jets "out of an abundance of caution" after the Maryland State Police McHenry Barrack, in Garrett County received an anonymous call of a “chemical-weapons threat” aboard the airliner, reports ABC News.
The tip was called in at 6:45 a.m. on an untraceable line and the caller did not identify himself, a senior federal official told ABC News. The caller said that four flights had devices on board – but only specified the JFK-bound Air France flight.
The plane was escorted to a secure area for a search, NBC New York reported. The news outlets reported the search was precautionary and no real threat was suspected. The FBI said the plane was cleared with "no incidents or hazards reported on board the flight by either the passengers or its crew."
The threat was just one of several targeting commercial aircraft on Memorial Day.
American Airlines Flight 131, which landed at JFK airport, and three other flights at Newark airport were also evaluated and screened by Port Authority Police, NBC 4 New York reported.