Unusual: International Airport Evacuated Quickly – Just Because of a Video Game

A passenger at Ontario International Airport in California caused the evacuation of a plane and a terminal section after reacting loudly to a virtual explosion in the game Call of Duty. The passenger was on FaceTime with a friend, and when his friend was eliminated in the game, he uttered words like 'bomb' and 'explosion'. A concerned passenger reported it to the crew, who called security forces. After investigation and confirmation of the gaming context, the passenger was released and the flight departed.

A passenger on a Frontier Airlines flight at Ontario International Airport in California triggered an emergency procedure and the evacuation of the aircraft and an entire section of Terminal 2, after reacting loudly to a virtual explosion in the game Call of Duty. The passenger was on FaceTime with a friend who was playing the game, and when the friend was 'eliminated' by a C4 charge, the passenger uttered words like 'bomb' and 'explosion'. A startled passenger who heard this reported it to the flight crew, who alerted security forces. Police detained the gamer for questioning, confiscated his backpack, and bomb squad and K-9 units searched the plane. After investigators called the passenger's friend and confirmed the gaming context, the suspicion was cleared and the flight departed. The article notes that the incident occurs against a backdrop of global security tensions, including the evacuation of American fighter jets from bases in the UK and a wave of false bomb threats in Europe.