Kansas City airport reopens hours after an evacuation as a potential threat was investigated

In this Sunday, May 24, 2020, file photo, people walk to a gate to board a Southwest Airlines flight to Orlando, Fla., at Kansas City International airport in Kansas City. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City International Airport terminal reopened Sunday afternoon, hours after it was evacuated while authorities looked into a potential threat, the Kansas City Aviation Department said.

Airport spokesperson Jackson Overstreet said in an email shortly after 2 p.m. that the terminal was reopened. The evacuation began after a threat about three hours earlier. Flights that landed during the shutdown were held on the taxiway.

FBI Director Kash Patel said on social media Sunday afternoon that the FBI reviewed the threat and determined it “not to be credible.”

Logan Hawley, 29, said he was waiting to board a flight to Texas when he noticed a swarm of police and K9 units inside the terminal.

“Suddenly there was an airport worker saying, `Immediately evacuate.’ People got up fast and rushed out of there,” Hawley said.

He said the group of roughly 2,000 people were ushered onto the tarmac.

The Associated Press