A Chicago woman who missed her flight at a Florida airport said there was a bomb in her checked baggage, officials say
A Chicago woman is accused of telling airport staff there was a bomb aboard a plane she just missed.
The plane was rerouted and passengers were evacuated while authorities searched it.
Marina Verbitsky, 46, was taken into custody Broward County Jail over the incident.
Officials said a Chicago woman who was late for her flight in Florida told staff members there was a bomb in her baggage aboard the departed aircraft, according to the Chicago PBS television station, WTTW.
The woman has been identified as Marina Verbitsky, 46, a Broward County Sheriff's Office press release shows, per WTTW. She is accused of making the report Monday night after staff members at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport told her that her plane had already left the gate.
The plane, which was already taxiing, was rerouted because of the bomb threat, WTTW reported. Passengers were evacuated and no explosives were found, officials from the sheriff's office said.
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Verbitsky was taken into custody at the Broward County Jail in southeastern Florida, officials said. She faces one count of false report concerning planting a bomb. If convicted, she could have to pay for all costs and damages that arose from the false report, according to Florida's law.
It is unclear whether Verbitsky is still in custody. The sheriff's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.
Verbitsky was traveling with her husband and her son, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
"It was a mistake. She was nervous about the son needing to go to school," an unnamed relative of Verbitsky's told the Sun-Times.
It appears to be at least the second false bomb threat reported at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in recent months. In July, a man was accused of saying he had an explosive in his luggage after a dispute over baggage fees, NBC News reported, forcing the airport to evacuate three terminals and halt operations for hours. He was arrested and charged with making a false report concerning planting a bomb, per NBC News.
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