Denver International Airport officials on Tuesday temporarily closed off a section of the main terminal for about two hours over potentially suspicious packages -- just hours after the terrorist attacks on Brussels, Belgium.
The police bomb squad cleared an area of the main terminal on the west side between doors 500 and 510 on level five, as well as doors 600 and 610 on level six, the airport tweeted.
Level five is for passenger pickup and bag claim, while level six is for passenger check-in and dropoff. Additionally, ticket counters for Aero Mexico, American, Air Canada, British Airways, and Lufthansa were evacuated.
The terminal was closed to the public at 04:45 PM, and was re-opened at around 06:45 PM. No threats have been found.
"We thank our passengers for their patience during this investigation. Safety is our no. 1 concern," the airport tweeted.
Several packages were screened to determine the validity of the threat which was originally reported by the Transportation Security Administration.
Sonny Jackson, spokesperson for Denver police, said the alert was strong enough to prompt full response and evacuation.
Meanwhile, airport officials did not make any connections to the terrorist attacks in Brussels.
"We are just looking at this particular incident. We would respond like this on any day," officials said.
Travelers are asked to check with their airlines to see if their flight has been delayed. The airport said flights are continuing, although delays are possible.
During the two-hour inspection, vehicles were not allowed at the west side of the terminal, but the east side remained open to passengers. The west side has been re-opened now, officials said.
Ryan Hitchler, who was in concourse C of the airport, said there were no notice of the incident in the area. He said his flight was on time.
Major cities across the nation are on full alert in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Brussels, where at least 34 people were killed and many others were wounded during back-to-back airport and subway bombings.
Secretary Jeh Charles Johnson of Homeland Security said the TSA is now deploying additional security measures to major airports and various rail and transit stations across the United States.
Photo: Mack Male | Flickr
