Passengers were taken off Flight 321 to Palm Beach, Fla., at 9 p.m. Monday, said state police spokesman David Procopio. Troopers with search dogs swept the aircraft and about 100 pieces of luggage, he said. The flight, scheduled to be among the last leaving Boston ahead of the Northeast snowstorm, was canceled, and the 135 passengers will be rebooked.
"Information known by law enforcement prior to the search suggested the threat was not credible," Procopio said. "The aircraft was nonetheless carefully examined per security protocols."
JetBlue confirmed it was the most recent victim of a bomb threat that originated in social media -- the second to target the airline this week.
"Numerous airlines have received similar messages via Twitter in recent days," JetBlue spokesman Sebastian White said yesterday. USA Today reported that Twitter accounts since closed down that referenced "ISIS" in their handles posted messages such as "Guys, flight 321 and 334 have explosives on board, and you don't care? It's going to be funny watching them fall out of the sky."
Sunday two jets bound for Atlanta had F-16 fighters escort them to their destinations after Twitter threats named a Southwest Airlines flight from Milwaukee and a Delta Air Lines flight from Portland.
An FBI spokeswoman in Los Angeles said earlier Monday the agency was investigating hoax threats Sunday against three West Coast flights.
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