Allegiant flight attendant finds bomb threat just before St. Pete-Clearwater International departure: Sheriff
Allegiant passengers were deplaned at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport after a written bomb threat was found on a flight departing for Cincinnati.
A flight attendant found the bomb threat written on a lavatory door and immediately notified the pilot, who stopped the plane on the runway.
Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said no evidence of explosive devices was found during their search of planes at the airport.
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Allegiant passengers onboard a flight that was supposed to head out of St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport Friday evening was quickly deplaned after the crew found a written bomb threat.
The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office quickly swarmed the airport after the threat was reported by crew members on that Allegiant Air flight. They said the flight landed at the airport about two hours prior to the incident from Cincinnati and was scheduled to depart PIE to head back to Cincinnati that same evening with about 70 passengers.
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Timeline
As the flight was taxiing to the runway, preparing for its departure, a flight attendant onboard opened the plane's rear lavatory door and found a written bomb threat. That's when the flight attendant notified the pilot, who immediately stopped the plane and helped work to evacuate passengers, according to investigators.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said during a news conference after the incident on Friday that the threat was "very broad" and wasn't limited to the particular plane, and included all Allegiant planes at the airport.
Because of that, authorities said they secured all six aircrafts and began getting all passengers off the planes and clearing them. PCSO's bomb dogs were also out and searching all the planes.
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Gualtieri said that deputies did not find any evidence of explosive devices on any of the planes.
Gualtieri said detectives are interviewing passengers that were on the plane with a written threat. The sheriff didn't go into detail about any suspect they may have or who may be responsible for the threat.
PCSO is still in the early stages of their investigation, but no injuries were reported during the security incident, according to officials.
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What they're saying
A spokesperson for Allegiant Air released the following statement about the incident:
"On 4/25/2025, Flight 2006, scheduled to depart St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) at 3:59 p.m. local time bound for Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), was delayed due to a possible security issue. The safety of our passengers and crew is always our priority. Because this is an active investigation, we must defer to law enforcement for additional information."
All planes were grounded for several hours, but the airport has since resumed normal operations.
The Source
The information in this story was gathered during a news conference held Friday evening. It also includes details from Allegiant Air and the FAA.
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