Jet to Newark Diverted to Cleveland after Bomb Threat

A small jetliner en route from Cincinnati to Newark was diverted to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport Monday night after a man aboard claimed he had a bomb.

The Continental flight with 15 passengers and three crew members aboard was searched and the man was taken into custody. No bomb was found, said Airport Commissioner Fred Szabo.

The regional jet, which can hold up to 50 passengers, landed at Hopkins about 9 p.m. and was diverted to an isolated area of the airport, Szabo said.

The luggage on the plane was also re-screened.

A 45-year-old man from New Jersey was taken into custody by the FBI and faces federal charges, said Cleveland police spokesman Thomas Stacho.

A police SWAT team, a K-9 dog unit, a bomb squad and FBI agents, with the Fire Department standing by, surrounded the craft and went aboard. Passengers were transferred to a shuttle bus and were to spend the night at the Sheraton Hopkins, Szabo said.

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