Authorities temporarily closed one of the terminals at New York's busy LaGuardia airport this morning and took a man into custody after discovering what turned out to be a fake bomb in his bag.
Most of the airport's main terminal was closed at 5:30am (9.30 am Irish Time) and travelers were allowed to return about 3.5 hours later.
Jack Kelly, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said the terminal's Concourse C, where the man was taken into custody, would remain closed until a crime scene investigation had been completed.
Kelly described the suspect as emotionally disturbed and said his bag contained batteries and wires. A police bomb squad was called in and local media reports described the bag's contents as a fake bomb that was not dangerous.
Officials of the Port Authority, which operates the New York City's three major airports, were working with affected airlines to reroute some travelers.
Reuters