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Bomb remark leads to airport arrest

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- A traveler was arrested Sunday after his remark about a bomb led to the evacuation of the main terminal at the Anchorage, Alaska, airport, police said.

Ted Stevens International Airport manager John Parrott said the terminal was evacuated shortly after midnight and reopened about 3 a.m., the Anchorage Daily News reported.

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The FBI identified the passenger arrested by airport police as Peter Friesema, who Parrott said "made a statement about a bomb in a bag" while checking in for an Alaska Airlines flight.

Parrott told the newspaper the FBI interviewed Friesema and determined the threat "non-credible."

The incident affected about a half-dozen flights, Parrott said.

Hundreds of passengers -- many of whom were dressed in summer clothing from their warmer departure cities -- huddled in doorways to keep warm in the chilled Alaska air, the News said. Shuttles transported the passengers, a dozen at a time, to the North Terminal for warmth.

Police also set up a road block at the entrance to the airport, preventing cars from getting to the terminal to pick up arriving passengers.

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