A flight from Panama to the United States made an unexpected return Friday after a suspicious package was found in the aircraft’s restroom, according to the Associated Press (AP).
The Copa Airlines flight between Panama City and Tampa was forced to turn around due to a presumed bomb threat, according to Panama’s civil aviation authority, per the Associated Press. Upon landing back in Panama, the plane was emptied of its 144 passengers and the police explosives unit began searching the plane for the source of the reported threat, per the outlet.
Flight to Florida returns to Panama over a suspected bomb that turns out to be an adult diaper. Click on the image below to read more ↓ https://t.co/iqbcrMycjv
— CTV News (@CTVNews) October 13, 2023
The agents later discovered the source of the supposed bomb threat was a disposable adult diaper carefully wrapped in a black trash bag, airport security head Jose Castro confirmed, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Officials Investigating Bomb Threats Aimed At Synagogues Across 10 Different States)
“We had it on a secure runway where police special explosives canine units and special forces examined the object, and found it to be an adult diaper, ruling out any risk,” the security head stated.
The Copa flight bound for Tampa turned out to be free of any threat and was later deemed safe to takeoff.