SFO terminal evacuated because of suspicious package

By Carlos E. Castañeda

A suspicious package discovered at San Francisco International Airport on Friday morning led to the evacuation of a terminal and major delays for travelers, authorities said.

The San Francisco Police Department said that officers responded to Harvey Milk Terminal 1 at SFO at about 8:15 a.m. on a report of a suspicious package, and the area was evacuated. The department’s bomb squad was dispatched to the site, police said.

SFO said the departures level lobby of Terminal 1 was closed, and an airport spokesperson said roadway traffic to the domestic terminals – Terminal 1, 2 and 3 – was rerouted to the International Terminal due to traffic congestion. 

The terminal re-opened at about 10:45 a.m., the airport said, although there was still heavy roadway congestion. Passengers were urged to give themselves additional time and consider being dropped off at the International Terminal and taking the AirTrain to their terminal.

Police spokesman Officer Robert Rueca could not say what the contents of the package were, but said a K-9 officer alerted that the package might have contained explosives.  

“It was a K-9 officer that alerted to the suspicious package,” Rueca said. “The dog alerted the handler, and the handler determined that we needed to investigate.”  

Police said the package was eventually deemed to be safe, but there was no immediate word of what the package was or who dropped it off. 

Rueca said investigators were reviewing surveillance camera footage to identify the person who left the package behind.