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Spirit Airlines plane makes emergency landing after alleged bomb threat

Spirit already flies from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale, Detroit, Houston, Atlantic City, Chicago and Dallas/Fort Worth.
Spirit already flies from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale, Detroit, Houston, Atlantic City, Chicago and Dallas/Fort Worth.
By Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Nov 20, 2015

A Spirit Airlines flight returned to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport late Thursday after a passenger made a bomb threat after take-off, officials said.

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Flight 596 was headed for Minneapolis and was reportedly grounded after about 15 minutes in the air.

>>Tuesday: Air France flights from LA, DC to Paris diverted due to threats

The Broward Sheriff's Office said the plane landed safely and was taken to a secure area to be checked out by the bomb squad, but no actual threat was detected.

Explosive-sniffing K-9s also swept the plane and baggage area, officials said. Passengers were removed from the plane during the search, according to the airport.

There were 92 people on board the Airbus A320.

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Earlier this week, on Tuesday morning, four people were taken off a Spirit Airlines flight from Balitmore-to-Chicago shortly before take-off.

The next day, the Council on American Islamic Relations asked Spirit Airlines to apologize for removing the four, saying the suspicious activity that led to the passengers' removal "was a man who appears to be of Middle Eastern descent watching a news clip on his cell phone."

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