White powder carried by passenger causes authorities to close part of UK airport

Part of UK airport closed to analyze white powder

LONDON — Police closed and evacuated part of Manchester Airport on Saturday after discovering a man preparing to board a flight was carrying a white powder in his hand luggage, but the substance turned out to be harmless.

For several hours, the check-in area where the powder was discovered was cordoned off by police, passengers were checked in at other terminals, and the man carrying the substance was questioned.

But the precautions ended and the man was released after the power was analyzed by police. Officer Leor Giladi declined to identify the substance but said it could not have been used as an explosive.

The event occurred one day after Britain raised its terror threat alert from “substantial” — meaning a strong possibility of a terrorist attack — to “severe,” indicating such an attack is considered highly likely.