Fort Lauderdale Airport was evacuated on Sunday evening over a bomb threat at the start of one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.
Police rushed to the airport after receiving the threat and evacuated Terminal 1.
Video showed dozens of police vehicles at the scene as people stood outside wondering what to do next.
A photo seen by DailyMail.com saw a man wearing a black backpack, dressed in a blue t-shirt being placed in handcuffs by two law enforcement officials in the security line.
The man was immediately detained for questioning and the name of the suspect has not been released.
About an hour after the incident, police cleared the area and operations returned to normal.
Fort Lauderdale Airport was evacuated over a ‘security-related incident’ early on Sunday night
People could be seen standing around outside airport following the evacuation order
Terminal 1’s airlines include United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Allegiant Air, Alaska Airlines, Copa Airlines and Bahamasair.
Around 5:30pm Sunday, police responded to the situation and led people from the airport.
‘Due to a developing security-related incident, law enforcement has evacuated the upper level of Terminal 1 and temporarily closed Fort Lauderdale’s Departures entrance in an abundance of caution until further notice.,’ the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport stated in its initial update.
Traffic around the airport, including the I-595 freeway, were at a standstill as a result of the sudden closure.
Authorities later revealed the incident was over a bomb threat, according to WSVN.
Traffic around the airport including the I-595 freeway were at a standstill as a result of the sudden closure
Roads around the airport complex were completely clogged following the evacuation
‘The individual was stopped by a Clear ambassador who contacted law enforcement immediately,’ a spokesperson for the security company stated.
Dozens of flights out of FLL were delayed, according to the airport’s flight tracker.
Passengers affected by the evacuation were unhappy at the lack of communication by airport authorities.
‘As someone evacuated over an hour ago, an UPDATE is deserved,’ wrote Lauren Picarde.
‘Been waiting 1.5 hours with a baby to get a taxi/uber/lyft,’ wrote one frustrated user.
‘The lack of communication with stranded passengers is unacceptable,’ wrote RCinHP.
By 8:30pm operations returned to normal.
‘Law enforcement has cleared the security incident in Terminal 1 and all airport roadway and terminal operations are returning to normal. We appreciate your patience during this incident,’ the airport tweeted.
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