Bomb Threat Traced To Tardy Traveler

Speeding down the highway late for a plane, the tardy traveler turned into a telephone terrorist - calling in a fake bomb scare to keep the jet grounded.

When he got to the airport, his plane was still there. So were police, who arrested him.

The caller, who was not identified in police documents, used a cellular phone while still miles away from Rome’s international airport early Thursday as the Caracas, Venezuel-abound flight was about to begin boarding. Authorities immediately cleared the Alitalia aircraft and began searching for the bomb.

Meanwhile, police traced the call to the cellular phone and arrested the traveler at the check-in counter.

The flight left 35 minutes late.