Air France Flights Update: Paris-Bound Planes From US Diverted After Bomb Threats, Investigation Underway

UPDATE: 3:09 a.m. EST -- The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said on its Twitter account Wednesday that they found no explosive device while searching Paris-bound Air France Flight 55, which was diverted to Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Canada's East Coast after a suspected bomb threat.

UPDATE: 1:08 a.m. EST -- The FBI, investigating the bomb threat on Air France Flight 65 from Los Angeles International Airport to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, said early Wednesday that no evidence was found “which would lend credibility” to threats that led to the plane’s diversion to Salt Lake City International Airport, according to Reuters.

Original story:

Two Air France flights headed from the United States to Paris were diverted late Tuesday after reported bomb threats, authorities said, according to news reports. The diversions followed Friday’s terror attacks in Paris that killed at least 129 people and injured hundreds of others in a series of coordinated shootings and suicide bombings.

Air France said in a statement that one flight -- Air France Flight 65, from Los Angeles International Airport to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris -- was diverted to Salt Lake City International Airport on Tuesday night because of a phoned-in bomb threat. A second flight -- Air France Flight 55 , which took off from Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C. -- was diverted to Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Canada's East Coast. Air France Flight 65, an Airbus A380, was carrying 497 passengers and crew, the Salt Lake Tribune reported, citing an airport official. The passengers on both planes were safely evacuated, authorities reportedly said.

“As a precautionary measure and to conduct all necessary security checks, Air France, applying the safety regulations in force, decided to request the landings of both aircraft,” the airline said, in a statement. “An investigation will be led by the authorities to identify the source of the telephone call.”

Air France also said that local authorities were carrying out complete inspections of the aircraft, passengers and luggage, adding that both flights were scheduled to resume their course to Paris early Wednesday morning.

Salt Lake airport spokeswoman Bianca Shreeve said the FBI was taking over the investigation of the plane in Salt Lake City.

In Halifax, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) was leading the investigation, the Associated Press reported. Air France 55, with 262 people aboard, was also diverted due to a bomb threat, a government source said. "RCMP will be searching the Air France plane using police dogs trained in explosives,” RCMP Nova Scotia said in a tweet.