Caribbean airports faced bomb threats leading to temporary disruptions

A series of bomb scares were reported at several airports in the Caribbean between last week and today, causing temporary disruptions to the tranquility of the regions.

The affected airports were located in Bermuda, Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The latest incident happened this morning when the Government of Anguilla received a bomb threat via the Royal Anguilla Police Force, which led to the temporary suspension of operations at the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport.

After a thorough search of the Terminal Building and an extensive sweep of the Security Restricted Area, police gave the ‘all-clear’ around 1:20 pm.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Bermuda police were notified of a bomb threat via e-mail threatening the terminal and British Airways flight 158, which was due to depart for London Heathrow.

The airport building and its environs were thoroughly searched, and the all-clear was given later.

Similarly, the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force received an email via Advance Marketing & Professional Services on Sunday, May 5, alerting them of a potential bomb threat claiming the presence of a bomb on an aircraft and at the Terminal Building at the Terrence B. International Airport.

RVIPF and Airport Security evacuated the premises and conducted a thorough search of all areas, but no devices were discovered, indicating the messages were likely intended to create chaos and disrupt airport operations.

After two and a half hours, the all-clear was issued, and normal operations resumed. Similar threats targeting the International Airports of Turks and Caicos and Bermuda have also been reported.

The RVIPF is collaborating with these jurisdictions to identify the offenders behind these threats.

Between April 26 and April 29, four bomb threats were issued to the JAGS McCartney International Airport and Howard Hamilton International Airport in the Turks and Caicos.

Operations at the facilities were suspended as police searched for explosives after the Turks and Caicos Islands Civil Aviation Authority received emails about a bomb on the compound.

After hours of searching, no explosives were found, leading police to label the incident as a hoax.