Luton 'bomb scare' sparked by unattended bag with cables and power sources

A passenger's hand luggage, which had been left unattended, was the cause of the major security alert which closed Luton airport for several hours.

A suspicious object was found during a routine x-ray security search. The passenger was questioned by the police but was unable to account for the item and confirmed the bag had previously been left unattended.

The item, which was rectangular in shape, displayed a large amount of organic mass, power sources and several electronic cables.

It sparked a full-scale emergency evacuation of the airport terminal and flights were diverted to Stansted in Essex and Birmingham.

The airport was closed for more than four hours as passengers were forced to wait outside as a specialist military Explosive Ordnance Detection unit was called in.

A controlled explosion was carried out.

Luton airport said the terminal was now operating normally with flights in and out.