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New York-bound Air France plane escorted to JFK after threats

U.S. officials don't consider any of the threats credible.

By Brooks Hays

NEW YORK, May 25 (UPI) -- Law enforcement officials reported receiving a number of anonymous threats against planes headed U.S. airports on Sunday and Monday.

At least one of the threats was directed at an Air France flight, headed from Paris to New York City overnight. As a precaution, the airliner was escorted into JFK Airport in New York by two fighter jets.

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An unnamed senior federal official told ABC News that threat against Air France Flight 22 was received at 6:45 a.m. EST via an untraceable line. The called was received by Maryland State Police McHenry Barrack, in Garrett County. The caller, who did not identify himself, made a "chemical weapons threat" in regards to the flight.

After the threat was forwarded to the FBI, to F15 jets scrambled to accompany the plane as it entered U.S. airspace. The jets were reported to have kept a significant distance, so not to alarm passengers aboard the flight.

U.S. officials don't consider any of the threats credible, but are searching the airliner for anything suspicious. As of yet, investigators have not turned up anything dangerous.

Though alarming, airline-directed bomb threats aren't necessarily uncommon. In January, two planes -- one incoming from San Francisco and one bound for Tel Aviv -- were grounded, de-boarded and searched at JFK after law enforcement officials received bomb threats.

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