The Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) returned to normal operation at noon on September 4 after about four-hour shutdown due to two separate security incidents, US officials said.

Terminals 6, 7 and 8, which are connected, reopened around 11 a.m. local time (19:00 GMT) and all ticketed passengers were ordered to be re-screened. Long lines of passengers extended from the terminals to the parking lots.

The evacuation of the terminals were ordered after a passenger reportedly walked up the exit lane at the screening station of Terminal 8 and bypassed the security check. The incident happened at 7:30 a.m. (15:30 GMT).

But the Tom Bradley international terminal reopened about one hour later as federal investigators tried to determine if a small explosion involving flashlight batteries was terrorism or crime-related.

Los Angeles Police Department spokesman John Miller told reporters that authorities concluded that the flashlight explosion appears to be accidental.

"We're fairly comfortable that it was not a terrorist incident," said Miller, adding that all appropriate tests have been made on the flashlight to come to that conclusion.

The explosion occurred at 8:00 a.m. (15:30 GMT) at the screening station of Tom Bradley international terminal, slightly injuring several people. The passenger, whose identifies were not released, was detained for questioning.

During the shutdown, flights were not being allowed to depart, while inbound flights were being allowed to land but passengers were not being taken off the plane. Traffic was diverted from the airport, and vehicles were ordered to park in the parking lots near the airport.

LAX officials described the two events as "two apparently unrelated incidents."

There had been some disruptions of flight schedules, as some departing flights and flights destined for LAX from other cities were delayed during the incidents.

The shutdown of the Los Angeles airport during the busy Labor Day weekend followed a bomb scare Friday at Ontario International Airport in east of Los Angeles that prompted the evacuation of 1,000 people for two hours.

But the suspicious bag that caused the scare later turned out to contain only cosmetics, officials said.

Authorities are especially wary of terrorism at Los Angeles International Airport, among the world's busiest. It has twice been targeted for attacks -- a foiled bomb plot planned for around New Year's Day 2000, and a shooting at a check-in counter that left three dead on July 4, 2002.

Los Angeles airport shut due to flashlight batteries explosion and screening breach

US officials at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) said an explosion of flashlight batteries and a screening breach caused the shutdown of the bustling airport Saturday morning.

Tom Bradley International Terminal was evacuated after a small explosion occurred at the screening station when passenger screeners were checking the bag of a passenger on the north side of the checkpoint. Several people were reported to be slightly injured in the blast.

"The passenger with the bag is being questioned. Preliminary reports indicate the explosion may have been caused by flashlight batteries, but the investigation is ongoing," an unidentified airport official said.

In another unrelated incident at 7:30 a.m. local time (15:30 GMT), a person reportedly went up the exit lane of passenger screening at Terminal 8 and bypassed security.

The security breach forced the evacuation of terminals 5, 6, 7,and 8, which are connected, and the passengers inside the terminals were all re-screened. United Airlines is the major carrier in Terminals 7 and 8.

Paul Turk, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said flights were not being allowed to depart, while inbound flights were being allowed to land but passengers were not being taken off the plane.

Traffic was diverted from the airport, and vehicles were ordered to park in the parking lots near the airport. People can catch the airport shuttle buses to go to or come out of the airport.

The shutdown of the Los Angeles airport during the busy Labor Day weekend followed a bomb scare Friday at Ontario International Airport in east of Los Angeles that prompted the evacuation of 1,000 people for two hours.

But the suspicious bag that caused the scare later turned out to contain only cosmetics, officials said.

Authorities are especially wary of terrorism at Los Angeles International Airport, among the world's busiest. It has twice been targeted for attacks -- a foiled bomb plot planned for around New Year's Day 2000, and a shooting at a check-in counter that left three dead on July 4, 2002.

Source: Xinhua