Loaded magazine found at security checkpoint closes boarding areas at SFO

A security threat Saturday morning at San Francisco International Airport led to the closure of some boarding areas and grounding of flights, according to an airport spokesman.

The shutdown resulted when a loaded magazine was brought by a passenger through a security checkpoint around 6:35 a.m., airport duty manager Chris Morgan said. As a result, the boarding areas at security checkpoints F1 and F3 in Terminal 3 and checkpoint G in the International Terminal were closed for about an hour until law enforcement agents were able to locate and interview the passenger.

Flights that were not already on the taxiway also were grounded while the search was conducted, Morgan said. The affected flights mostly involved United Airlines.

Transportation Security Administration agents flagged the suspicious item in the passenger’s bag at the security checkpoint but mistakenly pulled the wrong bag for inspection, allowing the passenger to proceed into the terminal with the loaded magazine, Morgan said. As of 9 a.m., airport operations had returned to normal, Morgan said.