Jet returns to Philly over tip about explosives

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A US Airways flight to Dallas was called back to Philadelphia on Thursday morning and surrounded by police after law enforcement officials received an anonymous tip that liquid explosives were on board, an FBI spokesman said.

Special Agent Frank Burton said it wasn’t immediately clear if the tip that led to the recall of Flight 1267 involved a specific person or a specific flight.

Transportation Security Administration spokesman Dave Castelveter said the airplane returned “due to a report of a suspicious item on board.”

Video from TV stations showed law enforcement officials removing a person from the flight and police dogs on the tarmac at Philadelphia International Airport. Passengers were bused away as a slew of law enforcement vehicles surrounded the aircraft.

The airplane bound for Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport had 69 passengers and five crew members on board, airport spokeswoman Victoria Lupica said. It left Philadelphia around 8 a.m. and returned in less than an hour, she said. The jet was over central Pennsylvania when it turned around, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware.

No other flights were affected, Lupica said.

US Airways did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment. Philadelphia police referred all calls to the FBI.