NEWS, TIPS & ADVICE | AIRPORTS

Oakland airport intruder forces security delays

From the Associated Press
12:46 PM PDT, July 10, 2007

A man slipped past security guards and through an exit at Oakland International Airport this morning, causing long lines outside terminals as authorities searched for the intruder.

Law enforcement officers were searching the airport's two terminals for the man, but it was uncertain whether he had been found, said Nico Melendez, a spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration.

Long lines of passengers waiting to board flights formed outside both terminals as security checkpoints were closed down for about an hour, Melendez said. Passengers who had already passed through security were allowed to remain inside.

"We were able to do a sweep of the two terminals and make a determination that an evacuation was not necessary," Melendez said.

Departing flights were being held until all passengers delayed by the intruder had passed through security and boarded, airport spokeswoman Rosemary Barnes said. It was unclear whether flights would be delayed.

"No one will miss their flight here out of Oakland this morning," Barnes said.

Both terminals were reopened after authorities determined the man didn't pose a threat, Melendez said.

Security forces are on heightened alert throughout the San Francisco Bay Area as an estimated 250,000 fans converge on and near San Francisco's AT&T Park for the All-Star Game festivities.

Roads around the ballpark, the Embarcadero and the piers will be closed until midnight Tuesday, after the midseason classic ends. The Coast Guard will put dog enforcement teams on ferries headed to the game.

Planes will be restricted from flying within three nautical miles of the ballpark, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said. And FBI-led SWAT teams will be stationed nearby, said Special Agent Joseph Schadler.