Officials at the Port Authority of NY and New Jersey, which operates the airport, have initially deemed the response as appropriate given the perceived threat of a gunman shooting at an airport teeming with travelers.
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A statement from the Port Authority confirmed there were no gunshots.
Kennedy International Airport resumed operations early Monday after thousands were evacuated following a false report of gunshots in one of the terminals, according to local reports. By 11:55 p.m., Special Ops had tweeted that “It appears that no shots have been fired”.
All affected terminals at the NY airport were evacuated and searched after reports of gunfire spread panic Sunday evening.
If cheering, clapping for #Olympics is really why ppl thought there were gun shots in JFK Airport, it shws the huge problem of guns we have. But by this stage, terminals had been closed down, people had been evacuated and hysteria had overtaken the airport. It also said that travellers should contact their carriers. “It was more like people starting to run when they saw others starting to run”.
Sherwin Bryce-Pease, a correspondent with South African Broadcasting Corp based in NY, was on a Norwegian Airlines flight from Paris that landed at JFK shortly before 10pm EDT (0200 GMT). The search turned up nothing.
The reports, which led to some frightening moments for fliers on Sunday night, were later determined to be unfounded, and the airport was given the all-clear.
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Panic spread quickly through the crowd as police ordered people to lie on the ground, then evacuated them through corridors leading outside to the tarmac. During the time of the shutdown, police went through every corner of the packed American Airlines terminal searching for evidence of a gun, a victim or bullets.
