United Parcel Service Inc. said the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation is inspecting possible suspicious packages on three jets that flew in from Europe. A Boeing Co. 767 from Paris and an MD-11 from Cologne, Germany, both landed safely in Philadelphia, and items on board are being investigated, Mike Mangeot, a spokesman for Atlanta- based UPS, said today in a telephone interview. The third plane is a 767 that arrived at New Jersey’s Newark airport from East Midlands, U.K., Mangeot said.
The FBI and the Transportation Security Administration haven’t given UPS further details about the nature of the packages or what is under investigation, Mangeot said. He said he wasn’t aware of any visible signs of smoke or fire from the packages or on the planes.
“Out of an abundance of caution the planes were moved to a remote location where they are being met by law enforcement officials and swept,” the TSA said in a statement.
Mangeot said the jet at Newark was later cleared for takeoff and is now on another flight to Louisville, Kentucky.
J.J. Klaver, a spokesman for the FBI in Philadelphia, referred questions to the Transportation Security Administration. A Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman didn’t immediately respond to phone calls and an e-mail seeking comment.
A telephone message left for media representatives at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates Newark Liberty International Airport, wasn’t immediately returned.
