A suspended employee of a contractor at Detroit Metro Airport breached security Wednesday afternoon, causing several hundred passengers to evacuate two airport concourses in the Smith Terminal.
After evacuating and sweeping the terminals, airport police located the man, and he was detained Wednesday evening for questioning.
The man, who had worked there handling curbside luggage, came to the airport shortly after 3 p.m. to meet with a supervisor.
He was escorted to the contractor's office in an area past security, but then left his escort and disappeared, said airport spokesman Michael Conway, who would not name the contractor or the man.
"This gentlemen was an employee here long enough. He had a badge. He knows what he did was a violation of airport rules and regulations," Conway said.
He added that the man's badge was taken after his suspension.
Airport officials and the Transportation Security Administration evacuated concourses A and B, areas to which the man had access.
Passengers already on board two flights were evacuated to the airport lobby, along with travelers waiting to board planes, said Conway.
He said he didn't know how many people were evacuated.
After the evacuations, officials swept the two planes and the concourses, then started rescreening passengers at 4:20 p.m., which took about an hour and 20 minutes, Conway said.
