Two suitcases left unattended at the entrance to the arrivals hall of Chopin Airport caused the evacuation of a thousand people. It was necessary to conduct a pyrotechnic reconnaissance.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, September 11, in the afternoon. – After receiving information from the port officer on duty about two suspicious pieces of luggage, officers and pyrotechnicians from the Special Intervention Group of the Warsaw-Okęcie Border Guard Unit appeared on the scene. The abandoned suitcases did not have luggage tags, an attempt was made to determine their owner by asking people in the vicinity of the place, as well as by broadcasting messages over the airport radio asking for their owner to report – says Dagmara Bielec, press officer of the Vistula Border Guard Unit, in a press release. – Unfortunately, neither the actions taken nor the recordings of CCTV cameras allowed the owner to be found. Therefore, an evacuation was carried out, and then pyrotechnic identification of the items was carried out – she adds.
There were no delays
Both suitcases were checked using an X-ray machine, a service dog trained to detect explosives and weapons, a pyrotechnic robot and manually. They contained only personal items and electronics.
Fortunately, the mine-and-pyrotechnic operations did not cause any delays in flight operations. The luggage and its contents were handed over to the Airport Security Service.
In connection with the activities, a total of approximately one thousand people were evacuated.
Pyrotechnicians' action at Warsaw's OkęcieNOSG
Don't leave your luggage unattended! Any luggage without visible supervision is treated by airport services as a potential threat, which involves initiating appropriate security procedures, such as: designating a security zone, pyrotechnic reconnaissance, or even evacuating the airport. These procedures may cause flight delays. In addition, leaving luggage unattended may result in a PLN 500 fine.
Main image source: NOSG