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Several handguns have been stolen from bags checked by police officers, military personnel and others on United Airlines flights departing O'Hare International Airport, sparking concern that the weapons are loose in what is supposed to be a secure part of the airport. Since the beginning of the year, there have been "a handful" of firearm thefts from luggage being handled by United personnel, Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond said. Bags containing guns also have disappeared, authorities said. News of an investigation surfaced days after new security restrictions were placed on airports across the nation in the wake of British authorities...

Six of the 11 Egyptian exchange students who recently entered the United States and failed to show up for their college program were in custody Thursday after three more were arrested, officials said. Police arrested Ahmed Mohamed Mohamed Abou El Ela, 22, at O'Hare International Airport after he tried to check in for a Chicago-to-Montana flight using an invalid ticket marked for a New York departure, Chicago police said. El Ela raised his voice and became unruly after an employee at a Delta ticket counter refused to let him exchange the ticket for a valid one, said Timothy J. Bolger,...

Chicago police on Thursday morning arrested one of the 11 Egyptian students who were wanted for failing to show up for an exchange program in Montana. At 8 a.m., about four hours after heightened security restrictions went into effect following a foiled terror plot in Britain, a man at the Delta terminal at O’Hare International Airport tried to use a ticket to go to Bozeman, Montana, but his ticket was out of New York rather than Chicago, police Supt. Philip Cline said at a news conference. A disturbance then ensued. “He was raising his voice for the level for the...

April 22, 2006 (by Lieven Dewitte) - A passenger who claimed to have a bomb aboard a United Airlines flight was subdued by passengers as the California-bound plane was diverted to Denver International Airport. Two F-16 fighter jets from Buckley Air Force Base scrambled to escort the plane. The A-320 Airbus heading to Sacramento, Calif., from Chicago flew into Denver Friday. The F-16s followed to make sure nothing untoward was going to happen. Jose Manuel Pelayo-Ortega tried to open an door on the Airbus A-320 en route from Chicago to Sacramento, Calif., and then claimed to have a bomb forcing...

United Airlines Flight Diverted to DenverDENVER - A passenger who claimed to have a bomb aboard a United Airlines flight was subdued by passengers as the California-bound plane was diverted to Denver International Airport, airport officials said. Two F-16 fighter jets from Buckley Air Force Base scrambled to escort the plane as it flew into Denver Friday, according to Lt. Commander Sean Kelly, a spokesman for NORAD. "They followed to make sure nothing untoward was going to happen," he said. Jose Manuel Pelayo-Ortega was arrested after the plane landed around 4:30 p.m., FBI spokeswoman Monique Kelso said. Three Secret Service...

A $15 billion expansion of O'Hare Airport designed to ease some of the nation's worst flight delays was halted by an appeals court just hours after it received the go-ahead from the Federal Aviation Administration. The city was expecting final approval and started to break ground Friday on the airport's first runway since 1971 after Mayor Richard M. Daley said "Let's go" into a walkie talkie at a celebratory news conference. But hours later, the US Court of Appeals in Washington granted an emergency request filed by opponents who argued the project would desecrate a cemetery with 1,300 tombs dating...

CHICAGO - The Federal Aviation Administration announced Friday it has approved a $15 billion project to expand the delay-plagued O'Hare International Airport by reconfiguring the runways — a plan that requires destruction of hundreds of homes.

Breaking on Fox: United flight from NY to SF makes emergency landing in Chicago. Passenger told flight attendants his seatmate had some "suspicious" items: vials of liquid, wires, and a portable DVD player.

CHICAGO -- Craig Williams knows to have his cell phone and computer well-charged before he flies because there is always a chance he will be delayed - especially if he is flying out of Chicago's O'Hare Airport. The numbers back him up: O'Hare finished dead last among the nation's 31 busiest airports for on-time departures and arrivals last year. "It's just something you have to deal with," the Charlotte, N.C., sales manager said Friday between business calls as he waited for a flight at O'Hare. "I think that for seasoned business travelers the expectations have gone way down. If you...

CHICAGO Authorities say they've indicted a former senior Homeland Security inspector and six others. The federal charges stem from an alleged conspiracy to get bribes in exchange for bogus immigration papers and special favors. Robert Butman worked at the O'Hare International Airport and is accused of working through middle men to shake down illegal immigrants. Officials arrested the senior inspector in the Department of Homeland Security's Bureau of Customs and Border Protection on June 30th. The 40-year-old Butman, of suburban Niles, is free on 50-thousand dollars bond. Five of the six other defendants were charged for the first time in...

CHICAGO -- A United Airlines plane from California to Chicago landed at O'Hare with six people injured aboard. Three people were taken to the hospital in serious condition, NBC5 reported, while one was taken in fair condition. Two others were treated at the scene. The flight originated in Orange County, Calif.

An American Airlines jet made an emergency landing this afternoon at O'Hare International Airport after experiencing engine problems shortly after takeoff. Authorities said the plane landed safely and there were no injuries among those aboard. Black marks could be seen on the side of a left engine as the plane sat on a runway, and passengers were being let off through a front exit and onto the tarmac. The flight was American Airlines 1374 to Philadelphia with 107 people on board, airline spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan said. Fagan said the engine was damaged and there was fire inside the engine,...

FoxNews reporting American Airlines flight 346 from Chicago to NYC was diverted to Pittsburgh due to the bomb threat scrawled on a tray table. Passengers were rescreened... developing...

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — A white powder spilled from a bag being unloaded at the Fort Wayne Airport (search) Wednesday morning, making at least one airport worker ill and forcing the closure of the airport. The bag was being unloaded from an American Eagle (search) flight from Chicago, airport spokeswoman Sandra Lux said. She said the bag belongs to a doctor from Beirut, Lebanon, who was not on the flight. One worker became ill after coming in contact with the powder and two others complained of severe itching. The airport terminal was shut down and all fights were delayed after...

FT. Wayne Airport is closed after luggage containing white powder comes in contact with airport airport worker who immediately ill. Bag was on American Eagle flight originated from Chicago and supposed to be in the custody of a Lebonese doctor who was not on the flight. Apologies if this is a duplicate thread

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) - A Chicago-bound flight from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport was evacuated Saturday after suspicious behavior by a passenger, officials said Sunday. Passengers were boarding United Airlines Flight 627 before 6 p.m. when a Middle Eastern man abruptly got off the plane, airport and Transportation Security Administration officials said. The Airbus A320 and the airport concourse were evacuated and all passengers were rescreened, said Amy Von Walter, a TSA spokeswoman. The passenger was found, but couldn't be questioned immediately because he didn't speak English, Von Walter said. He was turned over to the FBI, who questioned and...

Government will impose flight cutbacks if carriers refuse to go far enough themselves. WASHINGTON -- The head of the Federal Aviation Administration told a summit of airline executives on Wednesday that if they won't voluntarily reduce flight schedules at Chicago's congested O'Hare International Airport, the government will do it for them. "We cannot let schedules at O'Hare hold the whole system hostage," FAA Administrator Marion Blakey told the executives. "You can't control the weather, but you can control your schedule." Flight delays have reached historic levels at O'Hare. On-time arrivals this year are lower than for the past four years;...

CHICAGO (CBS 2) A transformer between Terminals 2 and 3 at O'Hare Airport exploded at 12:08 p.m. on Monday, knocking out power to numerous security checkpoints and baggage areas. Two O'Hare contractors were injured and taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood. They suffered first and second degree burns on their face, shoulders and arms, said Thomas Barrett with the Chicago Fire Department. A third person was treated for hyperventilation and released. The explosion cut off power to some lighting, checkpoints, baggage handling areas, escalators and elevators, said John Robertson, commisioner for Dept of Aviation for Chicago. Security screening...

Airport Security Alert Issued Bulletin Covers JFK, Newark, Dulles, Detroit, O'Hare And Los Angeles LAX Airports Jun 29, 2004 7:45 pm US/Eastern WASHINGTON (CBS) CBS News Correspondent Bob Orr reports the Department of Homeland Security has issued an alert that warns customs officers at six of America's busiest airports to watch for travelers of Pakistani descent who show physical signs of preparing for terror attacks against the U.S. The bulletin says, "Officers should look for rope burns, unusual bruises, wounds/scars or other evidence that they engaged in paramilitary training..." The unusually specific internal warning, obtained by CBS News, covers customs...

CHICAGO -- An American Airlines flight has made an emergency landing at O'Hare Airport. The jet was requesting ambulances with those injured believed to be flight attendants. The Chicago Fire Department confirms that they have sent four ambulances to an incident at O'Hare. The flight is American Airlines 117 originating from JFK Airport in New York.